31 Days of Holiday Memories

Day 19

I worked at Mouseland twice. From 2008-2009 and from 2011-2013ish…I don’t remember the EXACT years…because towards the end was when I hit major depression…I lost a couple years there.

ANYBUT!! This is not about that.

I worked at a theme park that was open 365 days a year. During the holiday season, I worked 40+ hour shifts (occasionally overtime, ocassionally ten days in a row).

I had no family who lived in the state.

I only ever got time off approved once for a week.

Sometimes I had an 8 hour turnaround. Which, for me, meant 2 hours to get to work (including cast shuttle time), 2 hours to get home from work (again including cast shuttle time), and 4 hours to sleep (if I immediately went to bed).

Cast members do not get holiday pay. Cast members do not get bonuses.

The point of this post is:

BE KIND TO THOSE WORKING THE HOLIDAYS.

Not just Mouseland. Not just theme park workers. ALL workers.

So many businesses DO NOT close on holidays. They may close early…rarely, but there are people who are working these holidays so the CEOs and CFOs and those who are not on the ground can have their holiday bonuses, their holiday time off, and so on.

BE KIND.

You may not know the person you’re screaming at, saying they’ve ruined your holiday…………won’t get to see their family. Won’t get to celebrate the same way you are. May be too exhausted to even wrap presents for their children (if they had time to buy them in the first place!).

BE KIND.

Everyone can be stressed this time of year. But that doesdn’t give ANYONE the right to treat those who’ve given up their holidays (MANY NOT BY CHOICE!!!! THEY DID NOT CHOOSE TO BE SCHEDULED!!!) so that you can buy that last minute gift, so your family has a magical experience, or so you can go to businesses on the holiday even though no one should be working or going out on holidays.

BE KIND.