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Services Do Not Cease On Christmas

Few times of the year are as quiet and uneventful as Christmas Day. During the morning hours, at least, just about everyone is home enjoying the holiday with family and friends.

But not quite. Police and sheriff’s department cruisers patrol the streets and byways. Paid firefighters staff their stations. Their volunteer counterparts remain on alert.

Emergency ambulance workers remain ready to rush to our aid. Nurses, doctors and other hospital workers continue to care for us, as do those in nursing homes and other care facilities.

When we open the faucets in our homes, clean water comes out. When we flip the switch, the lights come on in our living rooms and on our Christmas trees. Our natural gas furnaces kick on as usual to keep us warm.

If we are traveling, we can have confidence that if we need fuel, stations will be open to sell it to us. If we are hungry, a few restaurants along main travel routes will be open to serve us.

If we need batteries — and who doesn’t on Christmas morning? — we will be able to find a store to supply them. The same is true if we need a gallon of milk, medicine or other necessities.

Our needs for information will be met by news media personnel getting the next day’s newspaper ready. And yes, if we obtain our paper from a carrier, it will be waiting for us even on the morning of the Big Day.

We who will not have to work on Christmas Day — and that is the overwhelming majority of us — take all these things for granted.

But the services noted above and many others are provided only because a few of our neighbors are not taking the day off. Because they are working, we can enjoy a carefree holiday.

To them, then, we owe our gratitude and, of course, our wish they, too, have a merry Christmas.

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