Sarah has spent her fair share of Christmases working in ED. Photos: Supplied.
As part of our 12 days of what Christmas means to me series, we meet nurse Sarah Morton, who says it doesn’t always have to be celebrated on 25 December.
For many, 25 December is the chance to take a step back from their busy lives and spend time with loved ones, but emergencies don’t stop for nurses like Sarah Morton, so Christmas can look a little unconventional and be celebrated in different ways.
Since Sarah was a child, a traditional Christmas was always made a little more complicated by the demands of the health system.
“My dad is a doctor and we grew up with him either working on Christmas or New Year’s,” she said .”So Christmas for us has always just been when we can get together.”
Following in their father’s footsteps, Sarah and her sister pursued careers in health and became nurses, so hope of their family spending the public holiday together became even more difficult.
“When I first started, I always chose to work Christmas because people with families always wanted to have it off, so I made that sacrifice,” Sarah said. “For the first however many years, my sister and I would meet up in her apartment in Sydney and have our own little Christmas before our family Christmas which was really whenever we could all get together.”
But just because they can’t always come together on the day, the spirit behind the season is not completely lost, and the occasion is marked with a coastal holiday with their growing families in the new year and by creating new Christmas traditions of their own.
“To me, Christmas is not necessarily the 25th, it’s whenever we can get together as a family and just spend some time together,” Sarah said.
“I don’t think of a big roast dinner as Christmasy; I think of how we would just do puzzles on rainy days or jump off the wharf when we were little or these days I make gingerbread so whenever we get to decorate and eat them.
“Our family really likes Tim Minchin so for us it’s White Wine in the Sun where we can actually all just get together and have no other things going on other than just being together and spending time; that’s what makes it feel Christmasy.”
Sarah and her sister would catch up for a quick Christmas celebration before their shifts.
During the Christmas shift in hospital, staff try to celebrate as best they can, with people bringing different foods and non-alcoholic bubbles and making the most of the day at work.
“Then there’s people of different faiths and denominations that aren’t on to work but offer to come in because they know the people who celebrate Christmas would rather have it off so there’s also that generosity as well.
“I think that’s just a really nice show of teamwork and camaraderie that people are just happy to be there and celebrate together and make the best of it.”
Although they try to have some fun, the importance of the work they do is always top of mind.
“I guess it can be quite sobering and somber but we try and bring as much compassion and love and care to the job as we can,” Sarah said.
“I think that is really emphasised on Christmas because for most people coming in it’s the worst day of their lives and we respect that and while we might be having a laugh and trying to celebrate with our colleagues we’re also absolutely there for our patients and the community.
“There’s something extra special about being able to provide compassionate care to families and to patients on these kind of special days of the year.”
Being able to do the kind of work she does really helps shape Sarah’s perspective on what’s important and enhance the value of being with those she loves most.
“I’m just grateful to have any time with my family; I’m grateful to be able to wake up in the morning and walk down the stairs without needing assistance so I think seeing what we see, whether it’s good or bad, it makes you cherish the time you do get to spend with them, even if it isn’t on the right calendar day.”
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