Employer Woes and Housekeeper Woes

Holiday traditions usually change when one gets married (esp when one moves far from their family). I am NOT at all happy about how Christmas Day will be spent this year, and would frankly prefer to skip it all together, but it is the way it is and I will quietly suck it up for the day.  My husband and I have started to develop Boxing Day traditions rather than Christmas ones and I am focusing on those instead. 

My kids call Boxing Day 'Second Christmas' because that's the day that we watch Christmas specials and I make the dinner that I want to. Christmas is spent at his parent's house with mostly their traditions.  It works for us.

Christmas is spent at his parent's house with mostly their traditions. 

Exactly as it is here.  Boxing Day is the cool kids Christmas!!

My kids call Boxing Day 'Second Christmas' because that's the day that we watch Christmas specials and I make the dinner that I want to. Christmas is spent at his parent's house with mostly their traditions.  It works for us.

Growing up, we did things similarly.  It was like the three days of Christmas.  Christmas Eve and morning generally was at our house, with Christmas Eve being more geared towards my parents' friends.  Christmas day was almost always all day at my grandparents' or aunt's house.  The day after Christmas was our real Christmas, where we could play with our stuff, and mom would make a more kid friendly dinner or order take out.  I remember several years that we visited friends of the family who didn't have a lot of close people early "Boxing Day" (we didn't call it that of course), but generally, it was "kids' Christmas".  It's funny, because now as an adult, I can totally see how friggen stressed out my mom must have been to have to deal with the big Christmas day tradition, so it was probably totally a reward for not making her blow her top, etc.

Christmas can (and should be) anything that you make it, really.

My hubby is a teacher so he also has to take his holiday time during school holiday time.  I wish I could go home for a visit *anytime*, let alone Thanksgiving, (been here over two years, now without one), but we simply don't have the money to do that right now and probably won't for another year at least. 

Also, like others have said, anything could happen between now and next Thanksgiving. 

Yep, totally legal. Sucks a whole lot, but what can you do?  And since the Government kind of has a monopoly on the whole running the trains thing, it's not like he can just go elsewhere, either.  Ah, well. Just something to deal with, unfortunately.

That's National Rail then? I thought it was bad with my DH working for Royal Mail so not being able to take holiday during December.

That's National Rail then? I thought it was bad with my DH working for Royal Mail so not being able to take holiday during December.

His company is Network Rail (formerly Railtrack, formerly BR).  It's some kind of thing where his company owns/operates/maintains the tracks, and another company owns the trains, but it's all government owned. There was some kind of split and then re-merge in the 90s. I'm not that familiar with it, but I've heard Tim mention it.

Tim told me he CAN get holiday in December, but it becomes a first come, first serve kind of thing. They need nine people to run his office daily, the managers prefer to have 12, and there are 14 that can work in the office.  There isn't any seniority for leave, which kind of sucks since Tim has been with them for 14 years!


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Yes, I realize this is something we have to deal with, but that doesn't mean either of us are happy about it.  

jeez, no way. You totally have my sympthy on that one