Santas little helpers

Santas little helpers Santas little helpersPosted December 17, 2013, by Julia Watters Its Christmas morning and you wake up incredibly early. You sneak downstairs and grab your stocking and then you put it on, along with the rest of your uniform. And then you go to work. Old Saint Nick himself only has to work on Christmas Eve, but tzu siche are plenty of poor souls who have to punch in the time card on Christmas Day. Theyre the people who make sure the wheels are still turning while the rest of us are stuffing our face with, well, stuffing. Working on Christmas means more to some than just earning penalty rates. We spoke to a few people to find out why they dont mind spending their Christmas at work. Holiday health One profession that doesnt always get a holiday is healthcare and nurses are on the frontline. Jess Lovel is a nurse at Sydneys Westmead Hospital and spent Christmas Day last year caring for the patients on her ward. Jess family is based in Victoria, so Jess wasnt ab le to spend Christmas morning with them before heading off to work. Heres what Jess had to say about doing the Christmas shift I thought initially that working Christmas Day would be particularly hard. Being a long way from loved ones in a large city, it felt very lonely waking on Christmas morning. However, many of my friends who are also nurses were experiencing the same feelings, and to have that support made it easier to cope I think. I find that nurses, without knowing it, tend to make the best of difficult situations. So together we all made Christmas enjoyable and fun within the hospital walls. Decorating the ward and making Christmas treats to share among the staff and patients while Christmas carols played softly in the background made for a cosy atmosphere. I also continued to remind myself that I was surrounded by very unwell patients, some of whom were dying, and it was particularly important to not dwell on the fact that I was away from my family but to attempt to brighten up and bring cheer to our patients and their families. To know that I have made someone smile or laugh, especially on Christmas, is the best giftstoff I could have received. Christmas cheer Erica Myers-Davis works as the General Manager, Fundraising and Community Relations, for Prahan Mission in Melbourne. If you think organising Christmas lunch for your family can be hectic, Erica spends Christmas Day each year coordinating 50 volunteers and hosting lunch for 400 people. This year is the fourth year Erica will selflessly spend her Christmas with those in need, and shes excited that the Governor of Victoria and his wife will be joining them this year. The perks are the sense of satisfaction one gets from providing people with joy and love and giving gifts to the children, who often dont get anything else. The downside is that I start at 7am and finish at 6pm, and am usually too tired to celebrate later on with my in-laws. The power of Christmas Rachel Power and her husban d run Waterfalls Caf and Gallery in the heart of Tassies Mt Field National Park. Last year they chose to open for a couple of hours on Christmas Day for the benefit of those travelling in the area. Their caf is an hour out of Hobart and 30 minutes from the nearest supermarket, so its a huge benefit for those who are staying in the area. They only ran a limited tafelgeschirr as they refused to ask their staff to work Christmas, yet Rachel and her husband were still flat out all day. Despite this, they thoroughly enjoyed the festive atmosphere of their caf and were pleased to see holidaymakers enjoying the best possible visitor experience and making the most of their Christmas Day. This is one of the reasons we opened, teamed with the need to pay off our mortgage and the fact that we were cooking our Christmas dinner in the cafe kitchen while we worked. With three young children (10, eight and four), we did weigh up the time away from them while we worked on this special family day. We found that they enjoyed playing with their new toys, and were actually a big help on the day too ResourcesMy first resumeCover letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?Human Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice AdministratorPopular Career Searcheshow to become a tour guide in australiacareer opportunities after a masters in public healthhow to become a cooking teacher in australiagov funded nursing coursesgovernment funded social work courses melbourne CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire verbunden Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire OnlineJulia WattersRelated ArticlesBrowse moreBreaking through the glass ceilingSocial mediaOPINION The price of being socialSocial media. 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