Christmas is the most wonderful holiday of the year. Most people want to spend them in peace and in the circle of their loved ones. But not every profession allows it. There are some jobs that require you to work on Christmas Day. This includes doctors, police officers, firefighters, but also caregivers whose work is needed by clients who need 24-hour home care and their families. Taking care of them is not easy and families often have other responsibilities. However, even a Christmas spent working can be nice, enjoyable and can create unforgettable memories. An example of this are our caregivers that went abroad to work over the holidays this year.
New adventures and experience
It is an interesting experience for the caregives to spend the holidays in a foreign country, where they have different Christmas customs and traditions and experience Christmas differently than they are used to. Every country has a slightly different way of celebrating Christmas. Many times the caregivers will prepare Christmas decorations for the house and the tree, help the family prepare for the coming festive days. They will also make it more enjoyable for the carer for senior by involving him or her in the preparations. The caregivers help the family with the food preparation, so they can get to know and taste previously unfamiliar dishes, and the family also has the opportunity to taste dishes that are traditional in the country where caregivers come from. In this way, by spending the most beautiful holidays of the year together they will get to know each other better and can form or strengthen a friendly bond between them. Some caregivers, even though they are at work, feel as if they are part of the family.
Christmas brightened up by Christmas markets
Zsuzsanna, who is originally from Hungary, spent Christmas in Baden-Baden, Germany. Among other things, she went to see Christmas markets with her family and experienced the true German Christmas atmosphere. She tasted local specialities – traditional dishes of this German region of Baden-Württemberg. She also had the opportunity to see the Bethlehem, which of course is a very important part of Christmas.
Christmas of Romanian caregivers
Romanian caregivers also spent Christmas time working, for example Dolly in the Netherlands in Nunspeet and Liliana in Germany in the village of Besigheim, who shared their impressions. Dolly has been caregiving for three years, Liliana for over a year, but it was the first time they both spent Christmas with their foreign families. They also cooked a traditional Romanian dish, samrole, as a Christmas meal, so that they could feel more at home and be transported back to their home country at least in their thoughts. At the same time, the client’s family got to know different cuisine, which they enjoyed of course, and it certainly enriched them all. “The patient and her family were very happy and grateful that I decorated their Christmas tree, made decorations and cooked a holiday meal. I did it with pleasure.” caregiver shared her feelings with us. Both of our caregivers will have good memories of Christmas 2022, even though they were at work, but they spent it in contentment and in very happy way. They also sent us photos where you can see how they spent the holidays, what decorations they had, what food they prepared.
Feeling of acceptance
Gitana, a caregiver from Lithuania who stayed in the Netherlands in the village of Schagebrug for Christmas experienced a feeling of acceptance in the family where she works. The reason was that she was able to spend Christmas with her family with her own daughter: ‘The family I am with is very friendly and they offered me to stay with them for the holidays. I was delighted to be able to stay, it was a fun holiday time especially for my daughter with lots of new experiences and of course a nice reunion with all of my client’s extended family. It’s nice to stay for the holidays with your family, where you and your daughter are very warmly welcomed and accepted.”
How did you spend Christmas, working or relaxing? Share your experience with us in the comments below the article.
