Bridgett pulls into the salted, snowy lot at Smyth Memorial Hospital with no holiday cheer to spare. Nothing about 20-degree weather, icy roads, short staffing, and every decent restaurant closed feels merry. Every year it is the same. She volunteers for a 12-hour shift on Christmas Day. She eats cafeteria ham and flaky mashed potatoes in the break room with the other nurses. She sings carols to her patients with a joy that does not quite reach her eyes. She laughs, encourages, and stays firm. She begs, pleads, smiles, and cries, but she does not give up. She works her hardest and saves lives.
This year is no different. She arrives on time, ready for the usual understaffed shift, and is not disappointed. "Bridgett! Back to play again this year? Don't you ever have anything better to do than spend Christmas here?" Christine, a friend on Smyth's Progressive Care Unit, is trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, you know I can never get enough of this place and all your smiling faces," Bridgett says with a grin. What her coworkers do not know is that she volunteers for the holidays because being home alone drags up painful memories. Caring for others on Christmas at least makes her feel useful and needed.
The shift starts like any other. Med rounds at 1000, 1200, 1400, and 1700. Wound care and the rest in between. It is quiet for a holiday, no consults, less staff. Her patients are pleasant; families come and go. The nursing staff has put out cookies and cider, and Bridgett makes a point of handing the goodies to visitors.
Through the day she connects with an elderly patient, Sue. Earlier, Sue had insisted her family go home and spend Christmas away from the hospital, trusting Bridgett to see to her every need. Her family left with promises to call that night, and Bridgett kept her word, stopping by often to check on her. Sue was special. At 92, she had seen it all, and she was wise, kind, and patient, the kind of woman Bridgett wished she could be. During one visit Bridgett admitted as much, and confided her struggles in the career and how she wished she could feel the Christmas magic everyone else seemed to love.
That was when Sue changed how Bridgett saw herself.
"True magic resides in the heart of those, like yourself, who serve others so sacrificially, not only on Christmas but all year long."
"Why, Bridgett," Sue said, "your compassion and your ability to love unconditionally is a special gift." Maybe, Sue offered, working the holidays and caring for others was giving Bridgett's own heart the time it needed to heal. After that, the mashed potatoes did not seem so flaky, and the carols came out with real joy.
Driving home after her 12-hour shift, Bridgett was smiling on Christmas Day for the first time in a long while. She had found her Christmas magic. People come into our lives for a reason, and our patients teach us as much as we teach them. Stay joyful. Keep your compassion. Make the best of the season, the way Bridgett did. Merry Christmas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do nurses really work on Christmas Day? Yes. Hospitals and nursing facilities run around the clock every day of the year, so registered nurses rotate through nights, weekends, and holidays, and some are on call (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Patients on a unit on December 25 need the same care they would any other day.
Why would a nurse volunteer for a holiday shift? Reasons vary. Some trade the holiday so a coworker with young kids can be home, some want the differential pay many employers offer, and some, like Bridgett, find that caring for patients gives the day meaning when home feels lonely.
Is working holidays and nights hard on a nurse's health? It can be. Shift work and long hours disrupt sleep and circadian rhythms and, over time, raise the risk of fatigue-related injury and chronic health problems, which is why NIOSH publishes training to help nurses manage the toll.
How do nurses make holiday shifts feel less bleak? Small rituals help: a cookie-and-cider table at the station, carols on the unit, a shared cafeteria meal, and decorating patient rooms. Connecting with patients, as Bridgett did with Sue, is often what turns the shift around.
Do nurses get paid extra for working holidays? Often, yes. Many hospitals pay a holiday differential or premium rate, though the exact amount depends on the employer and union contract rather than any national rule.