“Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays.”
“I’ll be home for Christmas.”
Most of us are familiar with these classic songs, and we embrace their sentiments as we celebrate the holidays with our friends and loved ones. However, as we approach another season of festivals and celebrations, we need to be mindful of our local neighbors who cannot be with their families. From first responders to active duty military personnel, there are many among us whose calls of duty supersede holiday festivities.
Let’s take a look at three local professionals who have learned how to balance work responsibilities with family traditions.
Jamie Cossler, firefighter/EMT, Hendersonville Fire Department
What are your family holiday traditions?
During my early years, I didn’t have any children, so I didn’t mind working the holidays. However, when my two children came along, working holidays became more difficult. To deal with the work vs. holiday conflicts, we created several new family traditions. For example, if I have to work on Thanksgiving, we celebrate the holiday on the Wednesday before the holiday or the Friday afterward. When my kids were young and I had to work on Christmas, we told them that each year Santa Claus chooses 1,000 families who get to celebrate early and that we were one of those families. They loved it.
What are your work holiday traditions?
On most holidays, we celebrate with a special potluck dinner for all of the staff on duty. Usually, all of our families are invited to the dinner as well so they can share a meal together. During Christmas, we put up a tree and we decorate the fire station with holiday trimmings. By creating our own holiday traditions, we are able to maintain the positive attitudes that the public expects and deserves.
Samantha Chang, R.N., Tristar Hendersonville Medical Center, Birth Unit
What are your family holiday traditions?
At the hospital, we work two major holidays each year, with one of them being either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. As such, my time off is very limited. During November, we have a "friendsgiving" dinner each year with several local friends. If I have to work on Thanksgiving, we do it on the Wednesday before or on the weekend after. If I have to work on Christmas Day, we tell our two kids that Santa will come to our house early for a "practice run" so that they will get their presents early.
What are your work holiday traditions?
At the hospital, we all realize that having to work the holidays by helping bring new life into the world is an honor. We love to decorate the birth center for holidays. We also have a breakfast or a potluck in the birth center for our staff and their families. At Christmas, one of our nurses has a husband who dresses up as Santa every Christmas morning to entertain the families.
Carl McCoy, sheriff’s deputy/resource officer, Sumner County Sheriff’s Department/Tennessee Wildlife Resource Authority
What are your family holiday traditions?
I am used to having to work a lot of the holidays. In my family, we shift our holiday celebrations around to accommodate my work schedule. For example, we may eat Thanksgiving dinner on the day before Thanksgiving, and we may open Christmas presents on Dec. 26 instead of Christmas Day.
What are your work holiday traditions?
We always try to meet all of our shifts full force out of our obligation to the public. The only time that we work skeleton shifts is on Christmas Eve, mainly to help out the younger officers who have small children.
On major holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, I try to assign everyone to their home zones. When they get a break, they can go home and eat with their families but still be available to answer any calls as needed. If we know that an officer is celebrating with his/her family, then I or another officer will try to handle any calls until he/she is available again.