It is one thing to be working over Christmas but quite another to be doing so aboard a ship at sea almost 8,000 miles away from home.
And for Royal Navy sailor John Emberton from Rhosddu, Wrexham, this Christmas will be especially poignant as it will be the first he has spent away from his two young children, Seren aged seven and Finlay aged three.
Royal Navy sailor John Emberton
"This is the first time I've been deployed at Christmas since I've had children," explains John, 42, who is a petty officer serving on HMS Edinburgh, which is on a six-month deployment in the South Atlantic.
"It will be hard because we usually have a really nice family Christmas with my parents, Brian and Elizabeth Emberton, in Rhosddu.
"It will be strange not seeing them but I plan to Skype them on the day if I can and then I can see what they got for Christmas and join in with their day as much as I can."
If you thought Christmas shopping was tricky enough on land, then imagine the added headache involved for a sailor at sea.
Happily, says John, his wife Meryl has done the lion's share this year.
"I've ordered a few things online for my family but the main bulk has been sorted out by my wife," he says.
John, who went to Groves High School in Wrexham, joined the Royal Navy in 1990, and works as a gunner, maintaining and operating the ship's 20mm gun. He is also qualified to fire the Sea Dart missiles.
HMS Edinburgh
HMS Edinburgh is the last of the Royal Navy's Type 42 destroyers which will make way for the new-generation Type 45 destroyers.
On its current deployment the ship, says the Royal Navy, will "provide reassurance" to UK territories and dependencies and "support counter narcotics efforts" in the West African region.
It doesn't sound, though, as if Christmas Day will be a complete washout for John and his 259 shipmates.
"We'll be having a turkey dinner on board," he says, "and the lads are dressing up in various outfits so there will be lots of festive cheer on board to get us all through."
