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This is Work - Christmas

 



It is hard to spend time speaking about work and jobs without talking about what is probably one of the largest employers in the entire world. This employer has so many people, working directly for the organization, and hundreds and thousands of subcontractor worldwide. Christmas is a massive employer and so many people probably don’t even realize they are employees of a holiday.

I understand that Christmas is a religious holiday and the goal of this is not to take away from the Christian symbolism behind the holiday. This post is to focus on the hundreds of jobs created and worked because of this one holiday.  The management at the top of the organization is highly confidential in nature, yet despite the important role the management plays in motivating and setting the scene for the season, they take no direct salary or benefits. Rather they subcontract to so many people to get the job done, on time, in order to meet the delivery expectation of December 25th.

In my world this means many people, working hard, every day. Shopping is always on the list, for gifts and food. Some of my shopping is online. Behind the scene at the companies I purchased from is a team of happy elves, producing my goods, managing my online experience, dealing in the financial aspects, and also making sure the goods landed on my doorstep in time for the big day. I also shop in person for some items, so I met the some of the employees of the holiday season in person when I went for goods, food, etc. All very important people working to make the holiday a merry one.

These devoted elves are actually regular people, who work in a very demanding role, sales, retail, food service, transportation, warehousing, and of course the delivery services and the Post Office. While many people will complain of the commercial nature of a religious holiday, ultimately I can’t imagine a world in which the holiday did not involve trade and commerce. So many people rely on the income generated this time of year.

Besides retail, agriculture plays a huge part. From wreaths, to holly bushes, mistletoe, Christmas trees, and other plants for decoration and gifts. Agriculture is also at the forefront of the food we buy and eat whether we cooked it ourselves or dined in a restaurant. While winter is upon us in much of North America, there are still areas where agriculture can flourish in the winter months and can keep our bellies full.

On the service side, there are elves keeping us all from falling off emotional shelves. For some, Christmas may also cause stress and aggravation. Your friendly clinician, social workers, and other mental health professionals are also working hard to keep us on track with our mental wellness when holiday stress gets to be too much.

While you are getting ready to celebrate your holidays, please take the time to make sure to be extra friendly to one of these hard working elves in your travels. Not only is Christmas and the entire holiday season busy and stressful for you, it can also be for the hard working people making Christmas and the entire season, merry and bright. Christmas, this is work. #thisiswork

 ~Karen Cirincione

Email: kcirincione@gmail.com        

Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione

Twitter: @kcirincione  


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