When Dad Works on Christmas Day: A New Family Tradition
One firefighter family found a way to keep December 25 magical when Dad had to work.
Every December, millions of families face a quiet heartbreak. A parent puts on a uniform, kisses sleeping children goodbye, and heads to work on Christmas morning. Firefighters, police officers, nurses, soldiers, and hospitality workers keep the world running while their own homes wait. For young children, the question is confusing and tender: Why will Mom or Dad not be home for Christmas?
Adrienne Encinias knows that question well. She is a firefighter wife and a mother of two young daughters. When her husband, a firefighter-paramedic, was scheduled to work Christmas Day, she refused to accept the usual choices. She would not rush Christmas, celebrate without him, or pretend December 25 did not matter. Instead, she created a new Christmas Tradition for her family.
A Real Problem, A Real Solution
The idea was simple.
On December 25, Santa still makes a visit wherever the children will be. He leaves one special gift from the child's wishlist and a filled stocking, so the children still wake to wonder and joy on Christmas morning. Then, before or after December 25, on the chosen Family Christmas celebration day, when everyone can finally be together, Santa returns with the larger celebration. Nothing is skipped. Nothing is diminished. Christmas simply expands to fit the family's life.
"Instead of choosing between celebrating without Dad or moving Christmas entirely, our family created another way," Adrienne shared about the tradition's beginning.
What surprised her most was how naturally her daughters embraced it. There were no tears about a missing parent on Christmas morning. There was only excitement, first for Santa's early stop, and then for the bigger family day still to come. The magic stayed intact. The togetherness was preserved. And December 25 remained special.
Why So Many Families Need This
Adrienne's experience is far from unique. Essential workers cannot clock out for the holidays. Hospitals need nurses. Fire stations need crews. Police departments, military units, and hotels all rely on people who show up no matter the date on the calendar. Behind each of those workers is often a family trying to protect the innocence and excitement of a child who does not yet understand shift schedules and a parent who doesn't want to miss the magical years when their children are of the age of believing in Santa Claus.
For these households, the holidays can carry a hidden strain. Parents want to give their children the full experience of Christmas, yet the traditional single-day model leaves little room for the realities of essential work. Some families feel guilt. Others feel pressure to cram everything into a few exhausted hours. Many simply wish there were a better way to explain the situation to a child who only knows that someone they love is not there.
Santa Stops Twice™ speaks directly to those families. It offers simple language, structure, and comfort. Most importantly, it reframes the entire question. Christmas is not defined by a single square on the calendar. It is defined by being together.
From One Family's Tradition to Many
After using the tradition successfully with her own children for two Christmases, Adrienne realized it could help countless other families facing the same challenge. So she turned her family's idea into an illustrated children's book and an interactive Christmas experience that is delivered from Santa. Santa explains to the child exactly what he does for families like theirs.
The tradition is more than a book. It is a complete, family-friendly process that children can understand and enjoy. It begins when a child receives a special book from Santa. The family then chooses their Family Christmas Day, the date when everyone can be together. The child writes a letter to Santa requesting the alternate visit, delivers it, and settles into a cozy season of anticipation. On Christmas morning, Santa makes a stop. Then, on the family's chosen day, he returns with the full celebration and all the gifts.
Each step gives children a sense of participation and control. Rather than feeling that something is being taken away, they feel that something special is being added. The waiting becomes part of the wonder.
You can learn more about the tradition at Santa Stops Twice.
Redefining What Makes Christmas "Christmas"
At its heart, Santa Stops Twice™ carries a message far larger than any single product. It reminds children, and their parents, that the true magic of Christmas is presence, not a fixed date. For families whose lives do not fit neatly into the traditional holiday calendar, that reminder can be freeing.
Adrienne created the tradition specifically for the households that serve everyone else. The firefighter who runs toward danger while others gather at home. The nurse who holds a stranger's hand on Christmas Eve. The hotel worker who welcomes travelers during the busiest season of the year. The pilot helping people around the world get to their loved ones. These families deserve a way to keep the holiday joyful, and Santa Stops Twice™ was built with them in mind.
The tradition does not ask families to sacrifice December 25. It honors that day while gently extending the celebration to include everyone. That distinction matters deeply to Adrienne. The goal was to make sure no child feels that Christmas was lost, and no working parent feels that they missed it.
A Tradition Families Can Make Their Own
Perhaps the most beautiful part of Santa Stops Twice™ is its flexibility. Every family is different. Work schedules vary. Distances differ. Some families celebrate a day later, others a week later. The tradition adapts to whatever a family needs, which is precisely why it resonates. It is not a rigid rule. It is a warm framework, ready to be shaped by each household's story. Parents can choose to give more gifts on December 25, as it is completely customizable to each family.
For Adrienne, that is the whole point. What started as one mother's attempt to protect her daughters' and Christmas has grown into a tradition designed to comfort many. It carries the authenticity of lived experience, because it was created at her own kitchen table, for her own children, during a very real holiday challenge.
That honesty is its strength. This is not a marketing concept dreamed up in a boardroom. It is a solution born from love, tested by a real family, and shared with the hope that other families might feel a little less torn during the season that asks so much of them.
Discover Another Way to Celebrate
If your family faces a Christmas Day apart, know that you are not alone, and know that there is another way. Santa Stops Twice™ offers a gentle, magical path to keep December 25 special while creating a second celebration when everyone can finally be together. Explore the book, the tradition, and the simple steps that help children understand and embrace it. Visit Santa Stops Twice to begin your family's own version of the tradition, and give your children the gift of both wonder and togetherness this Christmas.
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