Are Maine Businesses Open on Christmas Just Money-Hungry?
I want to preface this whole thing right away with the fact that I know Christmas isn't the only holiday that falls in December. There's Christmas. There's Hanukkah. There's Kwanzaa.
All holidays that deserve to be celebrated. All holidays celebrated in different ways with different traditions.
But those celebrations shouldn't include having to work a shift at your job.
Maine Businesses Open on Christmas
I get that there are some businesses that need to be open on December 25, but I'm mainly thinking of shelters where people who aren't as fortunate as others who get to sit around a massive table filled with home-cooked deliciousness have a place to get a meal.
To me (and look, I'm only speaking for me, and I'll be the first to say that I'm definitely not right all the time), a food pantry or homeless shelter isn't the "business" that I'm thinking of.
I'm more thinking of a business that I was at recently that had Christmas Eve and Christmas Day hours posted. A business that didn't have "CLOSED" written after "Christmas Day Hours." A business that doesn't need to be open on Christmas Day.
During my transaction at this business -- which, by the way, won't be named or referenced because I'm not trying to ruin lives here, just make a point -- I noticed the posted Christmas Eve/Day hours and looked up at the person completing my transaction.
"Damn. You guys have to work on Christmas Day? Seriously?"
To the person's credit, while handing my card back to me, they didn't say a word. Which, props to that employee for having loyalty to the person signing their paychecks I suppose.
But their face -- their face said it all. Their face reeked of, "Right? It's total BS and unfair."
And maybe that's what triggered me to write this whole thing in the first place. That employee's face in reaction to my comment.
That said, to dispute my own question I asked in the title of this whole thing -- maybe the reason this business (and others) is open on Christmas Day has nothing to do with money. I'm writing this from the point of view of having a place to go on Christmas Day where I'll be surrounded by family I'm close to.
Unfortunately, that's not the case for everyone else. So, perhaps the owner or manager of this business is opening on Christmas Day because it gives them something to do, and the interaction with customers and putting smiles on faces is how they'll get through what could be a difficult day otherwise.
And if that's the case -- I really hope the reason for opening is because they're money-hungry. Because it's heartbreaking to know that this time of year, while so joyful for some, is so overwhelmingly painful for others.
...remember the time you watched someone change their entire point of view in real time? Because that's what just happened in this article.