25 Days of Christmas: Working on Christmas

Before you say anything, I know I have been slacking in terms of having a post every day until Christmas, but I promise there will be 25 posts on this here blog before the end of this month. 

Today, I planned to talk a little about working on Christmas, but first I wanted to share a Wednesday Wedding Update with you.  Ladies and gentlemen, I found my bridesmaids dresses.  I had been scouring the internet for months trying to find something cute, practical, reasonably inexpensive, and that would allow for the possibility of a few baby bumps and I finally found it.  I love the dresses at J. Crew, but they tend to run on the pricier side.  It was just my luck that this particular dress was on sale, PLUS an extra 30% off.  I was ecstatic!  Now, I need to find shoes.

Anyways, as most of you probably guessed, hospitals don't close on Christmas which means there are all sorts of hospital staff that work on the holiday.  When I was in high school and working at the lovely Walgreens nearby, I ended up having to work both Thanksgiving and Christmas (needless to say I was not thrilled).  This year, I will be celebrating Christmas with family in the morning and heading into work at 3:30 to celebrate again.

The other nurses that I work with and the residents on my unit are my family too.  I won't lie and tell you I wouldn't love to be home watching a Christmas movie from my favorites list and drinking some hot chocolate with my wonderful fiance, but there is also something uniquely special about going to work and spending the holiday with those who may need a little cheering up.

Often times our society gets too caught up in what we have made Christmas to be and we forget the true meaning.  Christmas is about celebrating a true act of love; the birth of a baby who would go on to sacrifice his life for us.  Christmas is about loving others and giving and peace and joy.  Christmas is about family and kindness.

At 3:30 on Christmas day, I will be walking into work ready to share the joy of Christmas.  I will be grateful to be in a profession where I can hopefully make someone's day just a tiny bit brighter.  I will remember that, unlike many in hospitals or nursing homes, I was able to celebrate Christmas at home with my family.  And maybe I will still be able to watch a Christmas movie and drink some hot chocolate and it will be just as special because it will be alongside my fellow nurses and the heroes who have made our freedom to celebrate Christmas possible.