Manager schedules 18-year-old high schooler to work from 11:30 AM to 7:30 PM on Christmas Day: 'Since there was no school, he'd ignore their set availability.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Dec 23, 2025 8:00 PM EST

This teens' parents have an essential decision to make: march down to the job and give the manager a piece of their mind, or let their kid have a very adult Christmas.

Nobody wants to spend the most important holiday of the year working. There are some industries, like healthcare and sanitation, where being scheduled to work on Christmas Day is an inevitability, especially when you're young and at the beginning of your career. Old-timers see young, inexperienced employees as needing to pay their dues, and part of that is working long, undesirable hours. These old guys didn't get the concept of "paying your dues" out of nowhere. They had to pay their dues, too! Not to mention, nurses early in their careers are not working on Christmas because their bosses are mean and don't want them to spend time with their families. They're working on Christmas because they're doing life-saving work that needs to be done to keep patients alive. Nobody would choose to work the graveyard shift if they got their first pick, but the graveyard shift has to be worked by somebody, so the youngsters take those shifts until they aren't youngsters anymore. 

If you have a cushy email job, the concept of having to work on Christmas is absolutely ludicrous. Including Christmas Eve and Christmas as guaranteed days off is the most basic benefit of working a typical 9-5. If you've never worked a job where you're required to go in on major holidays, it's easy to have no tolerance for this kind of expectation. After all, a job that demands that you give up Christmas must not be one you're going to have the rest of your life. 

Parents of teenage workers face an interesting dilemma during the holiday season. They often find that their high schooler's entire winter break is being swallowed up by shifts at a sandwich shop, leaving little room for family activities. When faced with such a quagmire, they have two options. They can either encourage their teen to quit the job because it's asking too much and there's a 99% chance it won't be their career, or they can tell them to grin and bear it because being an adult is all about working when you don't want to.

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  • A woman wearing a Santa hat using a computer
    via Pablo Merchán Montes (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • My 18-year-old's Christmas break work schedule

    December 2025 December 24 - 30 Wed 24 11:00 AM-7:00 PM [8.00] Thu 25 11:30 AM-7:30 PM [8.00] Fri 26 9:00 AM-5:00 PM [8.00] Sat 27 8:30 AM-4:30 PM [8.00] Sun 28 10:00 AM-5:15 PM [7.25]
    via u/sugabeetus

    The manager informed everyone that, since there was no school, he'd ignore their scheduled availability. The schedule came out yesterday. Who cares about any plans these kids or their families might have?

  • coxferryroad The fact he works Christmas Day sucks, but if he wants to make some money during the break, this is how you do it.
    via u/coxferryroad
  • OP sugabeetus Yeah the paycheck is going to be fat, I'm just bummed that the first taste of a full-time job is happening on the last ever Christmas break.
    via u/sugabeetus
  • Signal_This My 18-year-old got let go a few days ago, which kind of sucks. But I'm secretly delighted for us all to be off enjoying Christmas together.
    via u/Signal_This
  • OP sugabeetus I'm sorry that happened, but also nice!
    via u/sugabeetus
  • Ok_Welcome_2042 You have a very hard working kid and should be proud of yourself. My parents always were so strict and made me work. I used to get so mad. But it helped me become a successful adult. I just wanted to give you kudos!
    via u/Ok_Welcome_2042
  • OP sugabeetus Thanks! It's so hard to know what the right decision is. My husband and I were talking each other down from going and telling this manager to get fucked last night. Should we be standing up for our kid? What message does it send either way? That work is more important than anything? That you should just rage-quit and Mommy and Daddy will support you forever? Everything feels so momentous with a teenager. You want to set them on the right path but it's so easy to fuck it up.
    via u/sugabeetus
  • MxMirdan I mean, that's typically how it works. You update your availability for holidays and school closures, because usually that's when you can work full hours and most people want more hours. So, if you aren't one of them, you say things like "I'm not available for full time hours over break" and "I need you to follow my normal availability." I get it is annoying as a parent, but I think your kid dropped the ball. I was dealing with this issue when I was working fast food at the ages of 15-1
    via u/MxMirdan
  • OP sugabeetus It wasn't an option. They were informed that their availability was nil and unless they had already submitted for days off weeks ago, they would have to work or get written up. Yes, we are debating just nuking this job but they like having their own money so this is strike one for now. Applications are being sent out.
    via u/sugabeetus
  • Unhappy_Energy_741 It's gotta happen sometime. From like 16-24 I can't remember having any holiday off when working in retail.
    via u/Unhappy_Energy_741
  • OP sugabeetus I delivered pizza for 9 years and I loved working holidays. That's not the issue here, it's ignoring their set availability across the board, with not enough warning for them to request the time off if needed. It's just a crappy move.
    via u/sugabeetus
  • brandonwalsh76 I had a 17yo work late nights at a casino as a valet announcer. She kept falling asleep, so I took her off the schedule. Her father came down to complain. I told him "I accept her resignation."
    via u/brandonwalsh76
  • OP sugabeetus Exactly. I know I wouldn't have wanted my parents jumping in, and it was so embarrassing for my co-workers when that happened when I was a kid.
    via u/sugabeetus
  • Pleased mature couple being at home while celebrating Christmas together
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • dbhcalifornia IMO it's a good lesson for your kid. "Work hard after high school to get a job that you like that treats you well. Otherwise you could be doing this in your 40's and missing holiday time". Really stinks as a family, but heck as someone with a good job I still have to work many of those dates.
    via u/dbhcalifornia
  • OP sugabeetus Yeah we've had that discussion. You get the job that hires teenagers with high turnover. You gain some experience and get a slightly better job with that, and so on until you are doing something you don't hate, with people you can tolerate, for a paycheck that is fair. You can't start with the last step. They get it, but this just sucks.
    via u/sugabeetus
  • Mission_Release584 I understand your frustration. However, I think this is a good intro to adulthood and "real life" in that yes, you do have to work holidays and can't always have them off like when you're a kid. I do hope you didn't spill your frustrations onto him. At least he is working and is able to make some money so kudos to him.
    via u/Mission_Release584
  • OP sugabeetus I validated their frustrations and said we'd make it work for Christmas and we'd make sure they can relax at home. My husband and I had a private joint hissy fit and then moved on. O
    via u/sugabeetus
  • rupat3737 Where the hell does your kid work that's open those hours on Christmas? Hell even Walmart and McDonald's are closed on Xmas.
    via u/rupat3737
  • Shopping mall with assorted products
    via Caique Morais

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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schedule christmas manager shifts teenagers work high school holidays christmas eve employment
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