Christmas in Healthcare: Remembering Those Who Work While the World Celebrates
As Christmas approaches each year, I find myself thinking about what the holidays were really like when I worked in healthcare.
For many people, Christmas Eve is quiet—family gathered, lights glowing, the day winding down. But for those of us who have worked in hospitals or healthcare systems, the holidays often look very different.
I remember lying awake late on Christmas Eve, my family asleep down the hall, replying to text messages from our chaplain who was working overnight at the hospital. Even in those quiet hours, the hospital never truly slept. Patients still needed care. Families still needed comfort. And healthcare workers kept showing up—steady, present, and compassionate—through the night.
The Reality of Working Holidays in Healthcare
Healthcare doesn’t pause for holidays. Illness doesn’t wait. Crisis doesn’t check the calendar.
For many nurses, physicians, chaplains, social workers, technicians, and leaders, Christmas means:
Being on call
Covering overnight or extended shifts
Responding to urgent texts and pages
Holding emotional space for patients and families during deeply vulnerable moments
While much of the world is resting, healthcare workers are often carrying both professional responsibility and personal sacrifice at the same time. That weight—especially when repeated year after year—can quietly contribute to burnout.
A Word of Gratitude
If you’re working this Christmas—on the floor, on call, covering a shift, answering messages, or quietly holding space for others—I want to say this clearly:
Thank you.
Your presence matters.
Your sacrifice matters.
And it is deeply understood by those of us who have lived that responsibility.
This work takes more than skill. It takes emotional endurance, moral courage, and an ability to show up even when your own reserves are low. That’s not something to minimize or romanticize—it’s something to acknowledge honestly.
Why Conversations About Burnout Matter—Especially Now
The holidays can intensify burnout in healthcare. Long shifts, staffing shortages, emotional labor, and time away from loved ones all compound during this season.
That’s why conversations about burnout prevention and recovery are so important—especially among people who care deeply about their work.
I’m grateful for everyone who has been part of that conversation this year:
Naming what’s hard
Acknowledging moral distress
Recognizing limits without guilt
And exploring what sustainable care—for ourselves and others—can actually look like
Burnout thrives in silence. Awareness, honesty, and shared language are part of how we interrupt it.
Honoring All Ways of Marking This Season
I also want to acknowledge that not everyone celebrates Christmas—and that many people experience this season differently. For some, it’s joyful. For others, it’s complicated, heavy, or quietly endured.
Wherever you find yourself this time of year, my hope is that you’re able to find moments of rest, grounding, and connection—however that looks for you.
Looking Ahead
As this year comes to a close, I’m reminded that caring professions need more than gratitude—they need systems, cultures, and leadership that make sustainability possible.
Thank you for being part of the ongoing effort to do this work more honestly and more humanely.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and wishing all of you a steady, meaningful start to the New Year.
