Call days around Christmas

[Lynn]

This year DH is on call on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26. While it's nice that he will be home on Christmas, both of our families are several hrs. drive away, so it might be just a quiet day for the four of us, and it's not going to work to visit them. My MIL might come here.

Anybody else stuck and not able to travel around Christmas, or around whichever holiday you celebrate?

[ladymoreta]

Count us in there. DH works every day this month except Mondays, so we're just hoping they let him off a little early so we can have dinner together Christmas evening. (he's not on call, just a "normal" 6:00 a.m.-7:00p.m. work day.) Bleh, I am so ready for this rotation to be over!

But I really can't complain about missing Christmas with family. We've been incredibly lucky with holidays so far, and he made it through medical school and intern year without working on Thanksgiving or Christmas, so that's been nice. We figure we're due.

[Phoebe]

My husband's group splits the holiday of Xmas and NYE into two week stretches. This year my husband is working Christmas. It is yet to be determined if he is working everyday for 7 days or has several nights of call and back up. Either way we are home and have my mom to visit. We normally stay home because we have little kids and have no relatives in the same state.

ETA: Just got DH's schedule. It sucks. We will see him post-call on the 24th between the 21st and the 27th. Otherwise not.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

DH is not on any rotations during the holidays, but may be taking Step 2 on the 30th. He'll be studying a lot, but will be able to pull away for festivities. He is on call for NYE, which is fine with me - not a huge fan of it!

DH is PGY 3 and has worked Christmas day every year so far. And landed an overnight on NYE each year too!
He does have the 26th off this year so we are just doing our dinner and gift exchange then. DH's brother comes to us for Christmas and NY, not because of our awesome festivity but because he has no better options! Our families are so far away that we really need a week off to visit them... not happening during residency!

[Bittersweet]

DH is on backup call the entire week of X-mas and over NYE. He's never had this type of call before and it is completely cramping my style. I hate feeling tethered to town on the chance he'll be available. Luckily, my family will be here and I have friends coming to town for NYE. So, really I have no room to complain - just would have been nice to spend the holidays in the mountains.

In other words, yes it sort of sucks but the secret is spoiling yourself as much as possible in the name of entertainment.

I totally agree - call nights are all about me, baby

I am feeling pretty lucky with the setup we have right now. DH gets either 5 days at Christmas or New Years each year on top of his regular 4 weeks vacation. (He only gets 2 this year being an intern)

I was so nervous that I was going to be alone here on Christmas but it worked out that he has Christmas off, and since he gets a full 5 day chunk we are flying down to my family in South Florida....very excited. Dh loves visiting my family, he golfs pretty much every day with my mom or dad, and we get to go to the beach so it is really more like a vacation for him.

He will be on New Years which is fine, I am much more partial to Christmas. I was invited to a party with the rest of the neurosurgery residents, but I am not sure I wouldn't prefer a bottle of champagne and a little movie night to myself.

[MrsK]

DrK is off on Christmas and we are scheduled for a c-section that day.

[L.Jane]

J got the 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th off. he is on call NYE. Since we don't celebrate Xmas, we would have really preferred it the other way around. I am jumping on a plan Xmas day and heading home since I don't want to spend New Years alone. I feel bad leaving him here, but he is going to be at the hospital all night and then come home and sleep the next day. If I stayed, I would be alone too. Not how I want to spend new year's eve. Plus, I think we might need a little vacation from each other right now. We're both stressed and moody. My parents take separate vacations every year (and one together) and I totally see why.

[OrionGrad]

We're lucky that DH doesn't have to be on call on this Christmas. However, because it's currently residency interview season and we have been traveling nonstop for weeks, we're staying home rather than visiting our families on the other side of the country. This always seems like a good idea until Christmas Day (it's just the two of us, after all). My parents are flying in the week before Christmas, though, so that'll be nice.

[peggyfromwastate]

We have a mandatory vacation for 7 days for either the week of Christmas or the week of New Years.

DH is working and taking call Christmas week Mon thru Th, but he has Christmas off thru the 3rd.

I would rather NOT have to take vacation during this time of the year b/c it kills a precious week of leave... Work is usually really light now, b/c who wants to have surgery during this time of the year?

DH is off Christmas day but he is on call the 26th and 27th. We recently found out he got vacation approved for the week after that though so happily we will get to celebrate a late Christmas with my family.

[DCJenn]

My husband was on-call for Thanskgiving and then immediately jumped in to a two week course at the Army base. It was supposed to be a nine week course but duh- what doc can take off NINE weeks? He has been at work every single day since November 18. He's supposed to be on leave for the next two weeks but he's got to go in and do a bunch of stupid Army stuff like have his picture taken in his Class A uniform (hello- we're getting rid of the Girl Scout uniform- yay- so while he can still be allowed to wear it, he's got to get the pic done)

Saturday we fly to my parents and we don't come back until the 30th.

Jenn

[SuzySunshine]

We're lucky DH is on research, no call from the 18th to the 29th. We leave on the 22nd and come home on the 28th to spend the holiday with his family. We won't be so lucky next year so we're trying to enjoy it.

[medpedspouse]

After med school, residencies, fellowship and attendinghood, it is finally DH's turn....he has not had this much time off since between MS1 and 2. He is off from today until January 4th. I am excited but anxious about all his free time - it may be wonderful or the boy may get in big trouble.