Back to work today? Feeling sorry for yourself? All these people worked the whole of Christmas

It’s January. It’s cold, it’s dark and it’s miserable and chances are that you’ve gone back to work today. In conclusion, this morning was the worst.

But while you throw yourself a pity party about having to set an alarm for this morning, spare a thought for the estimated 900,000 Brits were working all through the festive period.

Prison Officers

When you were making a left-over turkey sarnie and watching Downton Abbey, this lot were patrolling the wings. 25 per cent of prison officers have to go in to work on Christmas Day itself. Which, when you think about it is good news, because nothing spoils Christmas like a mass break-out from a high security unit.

Farmers

If you struggled to get out of bed to go to work this morning, then spare a thought for the farmers who have to get up at 4.30 in the morning every single morning - including Christmas - to look after animals in the freezing cold. Kind of puts your 7.15 wake up call and nice warm bus to shame.

Firefighters

Remember the adorable Sainsburys’ Christmas advert where hapless house cat Mog accidentally sets the family home on fire? Who do you think came to the rescue? Firefighters, who were missing Christmas to be on call just in case anyone (cat or human) needed a blaze put out. Just as well, given that over Christmas the number of house fire more than doubles thanks to cooking, Christmas lights and having candles everywhere.

Bar Staff

When you’ve reached breaking point at sleeping in your childhood bedroom and you’re starting to remember why you spent your whole childhood fighting with your brother, where can you turn? The pub. The pub is Christmas’s safe haven. So don’t forget to thank the staff who spent their whole Christmas pouring your drinks, until New Year’s Eve, when they spent the whole evening moping up sick.

Midwives, Nurses and Doctors

Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean that people stop having babies. Someone has to be around to deliver the unfortunate children who are looking down the barrel of a life time of combined Christmas/Birthday presents.

Similarly, the festive season doesn’t mean that A&E is miraculously empty.

Between cooking accidents, drunken slips and injuries from complicated new toys, the ‘holiday’ period ends up being one of the busiest of the year for medical professionals. Which is probably why 13 per cent of nurses and 14 per cent of health care assistants spent Christmas Day in work.

Not to mention...

Police

Chefs

Journalists

The Clergy

In sum...