Well, he survived.
He worked Christmas Eve, got off at 6, and we were at my sister’s by 7.
To be honest, it was a lot less important to him-- or to us-- than the topic is to a lot of people here. Yes, he was disappointed, but that’s part of growing up. Even if he had had to work Christmas Day-- it’s a peril of choosing a job n a field that includes those demands. (My niece’s husband missed Christmas Eve this year-- he was working. My brother has missed a number of them along the way for the same reason.) Had it been a deal breaker for us, then we would have advised him to look for a part time job doing something else. But he likes this job-- it’s a 2 minute drive for him, he gets lots of hours, he likes the people he’s working with and for.
And he’s very thankful that supermarkets don’t require a Black Friday all nighter, or a Day after Christmas return marathon. He’s off today, fast asleep upstairs.