Target stores are open until 10 pm on Christmas Eve?

[Igel]

16. People do stuff on Xmas eve?

Sorry, both parents worked shift work. Xmas eve was when the Xmas decorations would go up, if both parents were home. My mother may have been an atheist, but still knew that the 12 days of Xmas began on Xmas.

If just one was home, then something might get done. Maybe baking. Presents wrapped. Decorations up inside or out. But they'd plan this out so that by Xmas eve everything that they wanted done was done by then.

When I was very young, before parents had lots of seniority, one or both would have to work on Xmas. Good news was that if you worked on Xmas, you had New Year's Day off.

Steel mills can't shut down for a day. It took almost a week to shut a blast furnace down. Along the way the refractory brick would shatter and they'd have to reline the furnaces.

Sort of difficult to remember, but Xmas eve was mostly work. Not sitting around a table having good times. Then again, I haven't kept Xmas since, um, '75? '76?