'Shifting For Ourselves'

Having to work holidays doesn't necessarily mean we can't have our own sort of celebration.

New Year's Day of 2016 sees the swing shift 'Shifting for Ourselves' and having a blast with it.

We're having a pot luck meal, but initial reports indicate it might not be what a person would expect.

Here's a list of what we've got on the menu so far, with much more we won't know until the last minute.

Lasagna,

French bread, 

deviled eggs, 

scalloped potatoes and ham, 

knoephle-kraut-sausage combo, 

banana muffins, 

fresh veggie mix, 

black-eyed peas with bacon, 

romaine with lemon, 

cinnamon cider with whipped cream and nutmeg dash, 

sea-salted caramel bits, 

whole wheat dinner rolls, 

dill pickles, 

chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce dip or lemon wedges,
DOT's pretzels (as opposed to the ordinary kind)

 … for starters … 

There are sixteen of us, eight on each of our Units, when fully staffed (which we sometimes are) which gives us a starting point for knowing how much to make/bring of our various contributions. We've also invited some family members as well as some of our co-shifters who aren't scheduled.

Our supper breaks are between six and seven p.m. with two half-hour slots - about half of us taking the first half hour and the rest taking the second which gives us our timing.

We also, if we can fit them in, have a couple of fifteen minute breaks, one between four and four-thirty and the other if/when we find time around nine which gives us set-up and tear-down time.

So each of us will be bringing whatever we choose (accumulating it in the staff refrigerator for a few days ahead of time when possible) and each of us has fifteen minutes to help with the setting up, thirty minutes to eat as we visit, then fifteen minutes later in the shift to get everything cleared up.

When somebody asks if everyone's invited, from the other shifts and departments, the answer is no. We can shift for ourselves, get the set-up and eating and clean-up done for ourselves, but no we do not have the resources to cover everybody. Nor would it be anything like a good idea to have more than five times our own numbers trying to cram into a space (and time-span) that will accommodate half us at a time in relative comfort but not many more than that.

So we say if day shift, med floor, night shift, and departments want to have their own New Year's Day celebrations, they should have at it. Of course a lot of them don't have to work holidays anyway and we aren't overly concerned about those folk. The rest have exactly the same resources that we do. 

This is our own way of taking care of our own selves. We're making the most of what little time, space, and personal resources we've got, fitting our celebration in between the priority of our work requirements. And it must be said that our people have noticed and appreciated our good spirits in the days approaching said celebration. The anticipation and planning gives us a head start on the fun!

Our shift leaders have indeed taken the lead here, sharing their idea with us and being the first to kick in their contributions. We as a team have been more than happy to make this a creatively festive celebration.

We might not have much to work with, but we can by golly get a heck of a lot done in our bits of break time without making a big deal out of it (although it really is kind of a big deal) and without interrupting the flow of our shift or interfering with the care of our people.

One thing I've noticed is that our choices of contributions fit pretty darned well with our work setting - a health care facility. There aren't many (any) junk food types of things represented, not many carbs, lots of healthy and tasty stuff though! 

We do ourselves proud. 

It's a great way to begin a new year!