What Is It Like to Work as a Christmas Season Temporary Employee?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BobG
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Christmas Jobs
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the experiences of temporary employees during the Christmas season, highlighting the emotional and social implications of such roles. It references David Sedaris's "Santaland Diaries," which captures the essence of working in holiday retail. The conversation reflects on personal childhood experiences with Christmas traditions, contrasting them with the commercialization of the holiday and the expectations placed on children. The narrative emphasizes the disconnect between societal expectations and personal realities during the festive season.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of temporary employment dynamics
  • Familiarity with holiday retail environments
  • Knowledge of cultural traditions surrounding Christmas
  • Awareness of the impact of commercialization on holiday experiences
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the themes in David Sedaris's "Santaland Diaries"
  • Research the psychological effects of temporary employment during the holidays
  • Investigate the history of Christmas traditions and their evolution
  • Analyze the impact of retail commercialization on childhood expectations
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for sociologists, retail managers, cultural historians, and anyone interested in the psychological effects of seasonal employment and holiday traditions.

BobG
Science Advisor
Messages
352
Reaction score
87
Tis almost the season when all of the folks hired temporarily for the Christmas season get tossed out on the streets, to wander aimlessly about until they find the unemployment line.

I wonder what it must be like to be a Christmas season temporary employee. Finally, someone has captured the experience in its full glory.

David Sedaris's Santaland Diaries

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/47/christmas-and-commerce?act=1
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I listened to it earlier today, and then I heard on the regional NPR station this evening.

I wonder what Christmas tradition calls for threatening or otherwise abusing one's children.

I was fortunate to grow up in little towns where we didn't have malls with visits to Santa at Christmas time. I never grew up expecting Santa, or rather Father Christmas from where I come, to bring gifts. Perhaps it was because my dad was a minister with a rather meager income, so I never learned to expect lavish gifts.
 
Astronuc said:
I listened to it earlier today, and then I heard on the regional NPR station this evening.

I wonder what Christmas tradition calls for threatening or otherwise abusing one's children.

I was fortunate to grow up in little towns where we didn't have malls with visits to Santa at Christmas time. I never grew up expecting Santa, or rather Father Christmas from where I come, to bring gifts. Perhaps it was because my dad was a minister with a rather meager income, so I never learned to expect lavish gifts.
When I was a kid, we all knew that Bun was the "Santa" who rode the back of the fire truck in the parade and tossed the candy. We still wanted the candy and the distraction. We never got lavish gifts, anyhow, no matter how we might have dreamed of them after seeing the Sears catalog. Ain't happenin'