Open on Christmas!?

[CaroPhoenix]

Went out to breakfast this morning with Mr. & Child Rum. Went to one of the many IHops in the area. Turns out this particular IHOP is open Christmas day until 3 PM!

Really!?!?

I don't go out Christmas Day unless I'm goung to either my Mom or PIL's house for dinner. (And if it's to the PILs, then we go the night before).

My parents & sister have bben known to go to the movies on Christmas, but I've lectured them about.

I don't think anything but the bare essentials for safety (911, ER, police, etc.) should be open othwise everything else should be closed.

This makes a sad penguin.

[Solumina]

I'm perfectly okay with places being open on Christmas, I'm not okay with places forcing people to work. There are plenty of people who don't celebrate Christmas as well as those who are just fine with working through it to get the holiday pay, sometimes that extra 8 hours of pay can really make a big difference.

[CaroPhoenix]

That's true. I did mention to my husband that I'm hoping the people @ IHOP were given the choice as to whether or not they want to work. Though I doubt waiters/waitresses would be getting time & a half.

Also, I figure it's a day where everyone can stay indoors with family and it's another excuse to eat a huge amount of food. Like Thanksgiving, but with presents if you choose to exchange them.



Thanksgiving. Christmas. Both should be just for family/friends/whomever. Too much commercialization I think.

Oh well.

The Rum family will be home, noshing on cinnamon rolls and drinking hot chocolate. Having that channel that shows the lit fireplace from 6 AM until 12 PM and then playing with our new toys. (I know we're getting a Wii for Christmas - so that's one toy everyone will be enjoying).

[draggar]

I'm guilty for (trying to) going to the movies on Christmas day but the theatres here (and over on the gulf coast) opened later that day, I think the first showing was at 4:00PM. Believe it or not, the theatre was PACKED. We left w/o seeing anything.

[TawnyMyst]

As long as staff is volunteer and paid accordingly for their time I see no problem with a place where food can be gotten being open. I used to travel on Christmas Day to visit family and a place to get lunch on the way was always appreciated. Now that I usually do fire watch at my place of work to ensure the safety of the equipment, somewhere to go to get food, even if it's fast food, is really appreciated during my shift.

[CaroPhoenix]

Well, in my defense ...

The IHOP is attached to a mall.

I'm doubting the mall will be open.

Plus there is no movie theater any longer at this mall.

I believe they'll be the only ones open for Christmas. (Don't quote me, I could be wrong, but I've never heard of this particular mall being open on Christmas).

Fortunately the restaurant does have its own door that doesn't require you entering the mall to get to it.

But I still say that places should be closed mainly so people can enjoy a day off.

The Gaming Store I used to work at was open 364 (365 in leap years) days a year with Christmas being the only day the store was closed.

[sarasquirrel]

cvs is open LOL

most stores will be open 10am-8pm

small stores will be closed, but so far doesnt include mine. most of the pharmacies will be closed as well.

24 hr stores are 24 hrs....24/7/365

i will not be working christmas...yay!!

[Lace Neil Singer]

In my opinion, anyone who can not survive a single flipping day where everything is closed needs to get psychiatric help. Addiction to shops? Pancake/burger/taco addiction?

[DGoddessChardonnay]

The only place I'm going off to on Christmas Day will be to my Dad's for dinner (unless we decide to have our gathering on Christmas Eve.)

AFAIK the Litter Box will be closed (so far they've not been open on Christmas Day) but I wouldn't put it past them to start this year. . .

If I don't have what I need by the time stores close on Christmas Eve, I don't need it. One day without stores being open won't kill me.

[Jester]

The Bar will be open on Christmas and Christmas Eve, with our regular hours. Generally speaking, most if not all of the staff that wants off will probably have it off. I will probably be working Christmas Eve, as that is part of my regular schedule, and will probably not be scheduled Christmas Day, as that is not part of my regular schedule. However, I will happily volunteer to work that day if it will give one of my coworkers the day off if they want it. I'll have fun working that day, meeting people, serving people food and drink, and wearing a silly Santa hat (as is my silly tradition this time of year at work). And the fact that I'll be making extra money (not time and a half, but additional tips I wouldn't have made having the day off) is just a bonus.

My parents & sister have been known to go to the movies on Christmas, but I've lectured them about.

I don't think you should lecture them. They are not forcing the theater (or any other business) to be open. They are merely taking advantage of the fact that that business IS open. I see no problem with that.

My little sister and I used to have a tradition on Christmas. After all the present-unwrapping and feasting, she and I (and whoever wanted to come along) would go to the movies. We have seen some great movies together on Christmas, including JFK and Jackie Brown. Now that Lil Sis lives in England, this tradition really doesn't happen anymore.

I don't think anything but the bare essentials for safety (911, ER, police, etc.) should be open othwise everything else should be closed.

Without turning this into a fratching-type debate, I would like to remind everyone that there are people who are not Christian so don't celebrate Christmas, who are Christians but for other reasons don't celebrate Christmas, who do not have family in their area to celebrate with, and/or who don't have friends to celebrate with for any number of reasons.

While you clearly have a problem with places being open on Christmas, not everyone has the same problem, and for some people, having a place to go for human interaction is a great thing.

Though I doubt waiters/waitresses would be getting time & a half.

While I cannot speak for IHOP, having never worked for them, I can tell you with a fair degree of certainty (99.99999999%) that servers don't get time and a half for holidays. I am sure there are establishments that are exceptions to this, but having worked for chains before, I would be shocked if IHOP were one of them.

Thanksgiving. Christmas. Both should be just for family/friends/whomever. Too much commercialization I think.

Too much commercialization, sure. But restaurants and bars are a great alternative for people who may not have the same options available to you and your family.

[TonyF]

I actually look forward to working on Christmas. Yes, I celebrate it, however, with all my friends and family going out of town every Christmas, what else am I going to do? And if they do stay in town, then I visit after work. An extra heavy paycheck and time with family/friends is pretty much a win-win.

This will be my fourth consecutive Christmas where I'm working.

And why? Well, our store is practically dead every Christmas, so I get to spend eight calm hours in the warehouse moving product around while getting paid time and a half. For me, that's damn near close to heaven!

[Lace Neil Singer]

I like to spend Boxing Day drinking, eating biscuits and watching shitty films on TV. Nothing will take that right away from me, dammit.

[CaroPhoenix]

Aaaah ... Boxing Day ... The day my mom makes Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding. That's why I like staying (in the) home (area) for Christmas. My MIL has never heard of Yorkshire Pudding and that makes me a sad penguin.

When my Grandma was alive, and my mom made roast beef with yorkshire pudding, she'd butter hers. I always drown it in gravy.

Our tradition was: have Christmas at home, and then my dad's parents would come down the day afterwards. And my mom would serve lasagna. Good times.

And it wasn't until, oh over 5 but less than 10 years ago that my sister & parents started going to the movies on Christmas. I always felt sorry for those who had to work Christmas (whether they celebrate the holiday or not, it's still an extra day of rest & relaxation).

[MadMike]

I'm old enough to remember when most stores weren't even open on Sundays, let alone holidays. If you ran out of something and it was a Sunday, chances are you were S.O.L.

We used to go to Ocean City, NJ for vacations when I was a kid, and they still had blue laws up until at least my teenage years. By law, most businesses had to close on Sundays. About the only things I remember being open were restaurants and motels. Rides and video arcades were closed. I always got bored on Sunday nights because there was never anything to do.

Even though most places were closed on Sundays when I was a kid, I still had to deal with my mom working an occasional Christmas. She was a nurse, and people don't stop getting sick or injured just because it's a holiday. She tried to avoid it when possible, so she could be with her kids, but every so often she had to take a Christmas. Once she didn't have any kids in the house, she started volunteering to work Christmas so that the people who still had kids at home could be with their families. Even now that she's still retired, she usually has her celebration either the weekend before or the weekend after.

I'll admit to taking in an occasional Christmas movie, mainly when I was still single and living alone. After getting home from celebrating with the family, I'd sometimes get bored. I remember seeing the second Lethal Weapon movie on Christmas with my friends.

[Android Kaeli]

My store only recently started to be open on Thanksgiving and it's been, so far, volenteer only. I've already told Boss Man that if the store is open on Christmas, to not even THINK about putting me on the schedule for it or asking me to work. I won't, even if it's a forced work day.

I'm also of the mind that nothing, except for emergency, non-pharmacy type jobs, should be open 24/7/364.