There are worse things that working on Christmas Day

This will be the 11th Christmas that I've been a Mammi. The last time I worked on Christmas Day was 2005, 18 weeks pregnant with Osh and when my shift was done I went home to tell my brother and sister that they were going to be an Aunty and Uncle. Fast forward to Christmas 2006 and I had a 7-month-old baby boy and my Christmases had changed forever.

This year, Christmas Day 2017...I'll be setting off for work just after 11:30am and coming home in time for the present exchange (hopefully) just after 4pm.

For me, there are worse things that I could be doing on Christmas Day than working. 

I could be in the hospital watching my child fight for her life like I was in 2013.

The main reason for my decision to work on Christmas day is because Osh alternates Christmas Day with our family and his Dad's, this year he will be with his father. We will have another Christmas Day for him on Boxing Day. We also visit Mark's family in Liverpool on the 27th so I would prefer to have my day's off when I can spend them with my family properly.

It's a little over four hours, I'll miss the big family meal at my parent's house (where Mark and the girls) I'm looking forward to joining them when they've finished eating and my Mam brings out the Christmas Chocolates and drink tea, feasting on the buffet and watching the girls play with their new toys.

There are some families whose Christmases won't be anywhere near as happy as mine. There are others who sacrifice their Christmas Day to care for families like us, they'll be working 12-hour shifts on their feet the entire time. I won't be doing anything anywhere near as brave, but I'll be keeping them all in my thoughts on Christmas Day.

Without our team at GOSH who was with us on Christmas Day 2013, Martha Grace wouldn't have been ready to come off her ventilator on Boxing Day and we wouldn't have been able to bring her home just under a month later.

If you are also working Christmas Day,  I hope you all have loving family and friends to come home to after your shift.

GM

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