White Coat Underground

Merry Christmas

Posted by PalMD on December 25, 2009
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Merry Christmas to my readers who celebrate this one. For those of you who do, you may sometimes wonder what those of us who don’t are doing today. Well, I find that Christmas is a great time to work at the hospital. It gives my Christian colleagues a break. Here in Michigan Jewish groups have traditionally worked various missions and shelters to give Christian charity workers a break. This year local Muslims will be joining Jews to help out. Detroit has large and strong Muslim and Jewish communities, and anything that brings them together is generally a very good thing. Conflicts between these communities tend to center around things happening very far from here, so focusing on our own local problems and working together to help our communities is good to see.

Some non-Christians still celebrate the secular aspects of Christmas, but most of us do not. Because Christian establishments are usually closed, a tradition of going out for Chinese food on Christmas has developed in many urban and suburban Jewish communities. When we go to a movie and a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we see lots of people we know.

So whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you all have a wonderful couple of days off with family and friends.

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  1. #1 Katharine
    December 25, 2009

    My folks celebrate it, I don’t. I just open the presents they give me two days later because Festivus is celebrated technically every day.

    I prefer to treat Solstice time as, well, the season of the world’s solstice festivals. It’s a happy time of enjoying time with the people you care about.

  2. #2 Abel Pharmboy
    December 25, 2009

    Good on ya, brother! Thanks so much for sharing this. I know that when PharmMom was an ER nurse, we were all deeply appreciative of those who’d cover her Christmas shift.

  3. #3 DrWonderful
    December 25, 2009

    You and your cohorts seem more pleasant on this day. Maybe it has some positive effect on you afterall?

  4. #4 MonkeyPox
    December 25, 2009

    Fuck you, DrW.

  5. #5 Cuttlefish
    December 25, 2009

    The very best of the season to you–what you are doing today will likely do more to bring peace on earth than a thousand Christmas Mass services. As a dad, I thank you.

    Shalom, salaam,

    DC

  6. #6 Danimal
    December 26, 2009

    Please, PLEASE tell me that at Chinese restaurants on Christmas they reproduce the “fa ra ra, fa ra ra, ra ra ra” scene from A Christmas Story.

  7. #7 drcharles
    December 26, 2009

    I too thought of the Christmas story scene. Might go out for Chinese food myself. Happy holidays :) I think any tradition that brings small white lights to this darkest time of year deserves our affection.

  8. #8 Dianne
    December 26, 2009

    Happy holidays, whatever your preferred winter holiday. And if you want to finish anything this decade…you’ve got 5 more days to do it;-)

  9. #9 Ejay
    December 26, 2009

    At Thanksgiving, Easter and Xmas I do more volunteer work than usual in order to let my Xtian friends do what they have to do. Why not? I live in this community also.

  10. #10 Chris
    December 26, 2009

    A little video I saw on those who do not get Christmas off:
    http://www.layscience.net/node/846

    (disclaimer, several members of my family including grandfather, father and brother were career military, next year a third nephew will join the service, and there is a another close relative who was a firefighter… what was left out of that video were those who work public transit, and even the private travel providers: my sister had to leave early on Christmas day one year to load luggage for the airline she worked for)

  11. #11 Donna B.
    December 27, 2009

    Another group not often remembered are power company crews. When our power went out on Christmas Day, we didn’t get a recording with the message they’d get back to us after Christmas.

  12. #12 Chris
    December 27, 2009

    Thanks, Donna, I also forgot about them! More than one Thanksgiving was interrupted when my father-in-law had to go out and repair power lines.

  13. #13 khan
    December 28, 2009

    Agreed. On Christmas Day I heard the fire sirens. And local power company crews were out fixing wind damage.

  14. #14 Perky Skeptic
    December 30, 2009

    That is really sweet. :) Thank you, PAL, and to all those who work on days I stay in bed. May your 2010 be bright and shiny!