Happy Christmas to anyone on duty today.

On Christmas morning 1983 I was on duty as a Military Policeman at the Main gate Clancy Barracks in Dublin. My Commanding officer, the Assistant Provost Marshal, Eastern Command, who was also known as “The wicked Chicken” for the way he cocked his head to one side and fixed you with his beady eyes, visited me. He inspected my office and he said “I have something for you corporal” and then with great ceremony he produced a bar of Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut chocolate. He opened it, broke off two squares and handed them to me. Then he saluted said “Happy Christmas Corporal” and left.

And you enjoyed those two squares.

Years ago, when I first got out of the Navy, I had a Chief Engineer would would come to the plant after he had his Christmas Dinner, him and his wife would pack a Christmas dinner for me and the midnight man and deliver them to work for us, (I was on the afternoon shift at the time).

Many years later when I first became a Chief Engineer, I would come in at 4AM and let the midnight man go home to be there when his kids woke up Christmas morning, and would let the day man come in late, so he could be there when his kids woke up. They both got paid for a full shift, I never got paid, it was my gift to them.
Unfortunately I can't do this any-longer, as where I now work the guys would get fired for falsifying their time sheets. What a difference 30 years of political correctness makes.

Merry Christmas to you and the family Pat.

Merry Christmas guys,

Glad to hear that I'm not the only sappy one out there Dave! I've been guilty of acts like those for years. In a "by the Book" shop my actions were quietly and happily ignored and allowed to continue despite the rise strict rules against such things.

Nowdays another has taken over these unpaid duties as I've moved up the ladder a bit. Instead I'm now "Chief of Christmas Construction" as I now put together all those "some assembly required" toys for single mothers where I work. Its amazing how involved some of those toys can be!

Jim
Large Scale Armory

I work as a 911 dispatcher so our center has to be manned 24/7/365. Everyone here still steps up so that those folks with young kids who are scheduled to work on Christmas Day get at least a few hours to be home with their families. Mangement is content to let us work it out amongst ourselves, even if it does incur a little bit of overtime.

I'm very lucky to work somewhere that still treats their employees with respect.

[quote
I'm very lucky to work somewhere that still treats their employees with respect.[/quote]
I`m lucky like that too,i`ve got a supervisor who tries to let my colleagues and i go early when he can - because of this he gets more respect and co-operation than any of the mangers where i work ! - i guess you get back two-fold what you give !!.

After 9/11 occurred my Cavalry Troop (Scouts, Tankers, Mortarmen and all our support personnel) were manning all the gates and several places around the installation on Christmas day. Some of these points were 35+ miles from main post in the middle of nowhere...ammo bunkers etc. A very sorry time to be on guard duty to say the least. Around about 0300 hrs Christmas morning, my 1SG and I made a stop at the mess hall to pick up a "silver bullet" of coffee and several trays of donuts and assorted treats. We took my 2000 Chevy Crew Cab which was red and taped Christmas lights all over it which we powered through an inverter. We secured our Guidon (Troop Colors) out the rear window and began our journey. With lights blazing and our colors flying in the wind we visited each and every soldier that morning bringing them coffee and something to eat. Couldn't do anything about sending them home early, but we were there with them until the shift change at 1300 that afternoon. When the last of them had come in from their post and the change over was complete, we parted ways...until we started all over 36 hours later. All of them appreciated the effort and thought we put into coming to see them. One of the more memorable Christmas' I can recall. "Q"

Not exactly a Christmas Tale but close.
My first New Years Eve in the Army I was on Guard Duty in Townsville. The Guard Commander (who was also my Crew Commander) woke us all up at midnight and made us Parade in front of the Guard Room. We had no idea what was up until he came out with 6 wine glasses and a bottle of champers. We started the New Year by sipping the bubbly and watching the fireworks over the Strand. Still one of the best memories I have after 21 years.

The rather large midwestern police department I retired from had a habit of "switching" shifts to accomodate holidays. As a single man I worked Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so the coppers who had children could be off. They, in turn, worked New Year's Eve and New Year's Day for us single "party types". no documentation, it was just done.

30 plus years later I shudder to think what would happen if this was even suggested.

It's a shame actually.

G

A lot of switching duties with no paperwork went on in my Military Police Detachment. My Sergeant once told me not to bother filling in a Leave Request form to travel to France for four days to see Ireland play rugby he just got someone to switch duties with me.

There were a pair of identical twins in the unit and twin A would come in to take over from Twin B, report to the orderly officer, draw his weapon come to the MP post and swap weapons with his twin and then go back and hand it in to the orderly officer and go out boozing for the night

Christmas day 1992 I was on a 20 hour C-141 to Somalia with the 10th mountain Division, I had just turned 18 5 days before.