Christmas Day workers – the caring souls at Highland Hospice, Eilean Dubh Care Home in Fortrose, Mikeysline, and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness who sacrifice family time for the good of others
For many of us, it will live up to the traditional warm and family-friendly billing – the most wonderful time of the year.
In a fast-paced world, Christmas Day spent with our nearest and dearest can offer a brief and welcome sanctuary from the manic demands of work and daily responsibility.
For some, though – more than one million of us in the UK – Christmas Day means normal working hours.
Rarely is this sacrifice more important than from the health and care sectors who are ready and waiting help and look after those unable, through illness or other reasons, to spend time within the family nest.
We spoke to a few of those locally who are committed to sacrificing all or part of December 25 with the family for the greater good of those unfortunate enough to be in care, in hospital or simply in distress.
Perhaps surprisingly, everyone we spoke to spoke passionately and convincingly about how much they enjoy and value their Christmas Day roles.
At Parklands Care’s Eilean Dubh Care Home in Fortrose, Marion Cowan (51) of Rosemarkie and Ron Gumbo (35) of Dingwall will be entertaining the elderly - including a visiting Santa Claus - and loving every minute of it, both from 8am until 2.30pm.
Marion said: “I always work Christmas Day. I genuinely love it. I love the atmosphere and making the residents happy, it’s brilliant.
“My own family has grown up and are doing their own thing. Yes, I’ve got the hubbie at home, but he’s fine!
“It is so special being in here, making the residents smile. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, to be honest.”
Colleague Ron added: “With it being my first Christmas Day working here last year, I wasn’t sure how it would be without family. Then I discovered I have family here.
“It was a Christmas to remember, one of the best I have enjoyed.
“I don’t even have proper words to explain how good it makes me feel to be part of all the celebrations.”
At Highland Hospice, Claire Watson (50), of Smithton, and Ayeasha Coghill (40) of Alness are just two of a dedicated team looking after those who sadly could be preparing for their last Christmas.
That might paint a picture of gloom, but both staff nurses insist it couldn’t be farther from the truth, with a special festive atmosphere at play.
Claire, with Highland Hospice for about 20 years, will work 7.30 am to 8pm on Xmas Day, and finds it incredibly rewarding. She asked to work Christmas Day this year.
She said: “Certainly, over Christmas, it can be quite emotionally challenging for our patients. We’re always mindful of that, ensuring each patient and their family’s needs are met.
“It is about facilitating their specific wishes as to how they would like to spend Christmas.
“The team I work for is really special - I genuinely mean that.
“I share a lot with them and we’re very supportive of each other. I have really wonderful colleagues.
“People say it takes a special kind of person to do this kind of work, but I wouldn’t have stayed in an environment like this for 20 years if I hadn’t got so much back from it myself, and learnt so much.
“I’m grateful for the privilege of being able to offer care and support to patients who let us into their lives at such a vulnerable time.”
Nursing colleague Ayeasha has been there for almost four years and added: “A lot of people think hospice and think ‘death and dying’. It is actually quite a happy, positive place to work.
“Just being able to give the best Christmas we can when potentially it may be their last Christmas, you go home feeling you’ve made a difference to someone’s life.
“It also makes you very thankful for what you have in your life.
“My husband works offshore and we’ve had probably six Christmases apart. He’s actually home this Christmas!
“I have two step-sons and we’ll just have a nice time when I get home or on Boxing Day. You just have to make the best of it.”
For Mikeysline, the mental health charity, there can be no letting up in what is a crucial lifeline service for more people than many of us imagine.
Donna Murray (54), who lives in north-west Sutherland, between Bettyhill and Tongue, is a community link worker and also a volunteer for the charity on the textline.
She said: “It is so important that our services are delivered 365 days a year for those who need it.
“Christmas working is a bit of a tradition for my family as well. When we were younger as children, people would cover for my dad in his work. As we got older, he would do the same for others with younger children.
“It is something that was passed on and instilled in us.
“It is hard to predict how active the textlines will be, but I can be dealing with five or six conversations at once.
“Sometimes people rally around friends and family on Christmas Day and it is afterwards that the loneliness or isolation hits.
“There is constant pressure at this time of year - financial pressure, pressure for those putting on the dinner, the pressure of having to live up to ideals - different factors can affect anybody and everybody.
“With texts, my job is sometimes to read between the lines and understand what they are really saying, keeping it conversational and relaxed, but keeping that safe space you would have in a one-to-one situation.
“If the person is actually in crisis then we do have to ask those big questions to identify, very quickly, whether they need a welfare check and assistance from the police.
“It is good to know we do make a difference. I have received messages back saying ‘you have saved my life’.”
For newly-qualified NHS nurse Rhianna Fraser-Lee (22), who lives near Beauly, this will be her first Christmas Day in the wards.
She said: “It is a very busy, fast-paced environment with a lot of different surgical conditions we see.
“It can be colorectal, upper gastrointestinal, vascular and we see some neurology as well.
“There’s treatment of Krohns, ulcerative colitis, to palliative patients. It is really interesting.”
It has taken three years of hard work at university, mixed with placements and theory work to take her into a role of responsibility she relishes.
Rhianna admitted: “This is going to be a very different way to spend my Christmas, but I think it will be quite nice.
“It is good to be able to care for people when they are at a low ebb and very vulnerable. It is quite a privilege to look after them on Christmas Day.
“I’ve obviously never done it before, but colleagues say it is quite nice because every patient gets a little present. A lot of family will come in to visit.
“Some patients will go out on day passes to spend time with their family.
“It will be a nice, but strange way to spend Christmas!
“I would usually spend it with my mum, dad and brother, as well as aunties and uncles, and I’d go and see my boyfriend throughout the day.
“This year, that won’t happen until later at night, but that’s absolutely fine. I’d rather that colleagues with little ones get to spend Christmas Day with them.”
Her mammoth shift on the day will start at 7.15 am and finish 7.45 pm
She added: “It’s a long day, but I’m lucky not to be in on Boxing Day so I’ll get to see all my family.
“Our patients are all quite vulnerable. A lot of them obviously won’t be thrilled about having to spend Christmas in a hospital ward, but you have to help them make the most of it and put them at the centre of the care.”
