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Highlands Today

Celebrating Christmas On The Day Shift

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

Cindy Booth, a laboratory supervisor, fills the storage shelves with supplies to prepare for the holidays at Florida Hospital Heartland Division recently in Sebring.

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By BRAD DICKERSON

Highlands Today

Published: December 25, 2008

SEBRING - While most Highlands County residents are busy this Christmas morning opening presents or getting ready to go to grandmother's house, some are heading to work - if they're not already there.

Emergencies and illness do not take a holiday break, so medical personnel, law enforcement officers and firefighters must be on hand and ready to go at a moment's notice. Then there are hotel desk clerks and servers at some of the local restaurants that are hosting Christmas hours.

Joe La Rue, executive chef at Highlands Regional Medical Center, will prepare a traditional Christmas meal for both the staff on duty and the patients.

His kitchen will require all hands on deck.

"Everybody works, but everybody works short shifts," La Rue said.

Jennifer Forde, a Highlands Regional registered nurse, said some of the staff will have their families come in and enjoy their holiday meal right there in the hospital.

The nurses and other hospital personnel worked to divide their shifts so those with families could spend some quality time with their loved ones on Christmas.

Nurse Monica Ashley-Nguyen, for example, is not coming to work until 1 p.m., today, so she can have the morning to spend with her 2-year-old child.

Fellow nurse Sherry Tripp said the secret to enjoying the Christmas Day shift is to, "Just keep your smile on."

"You're just thankful you're working and not in the hospital," said Cindy Booth, a lab technician at Florida Hospital Heartland Division, who came to work today at 7 a.m. "We just joke around on Christmas Day. It's usually quiet. Usually."

Booth and her fellow lab techs maintain their holiday cheer by playing Christmas music and keeping a positive attitude.

They also got into the spirit by having a gag gift exchange. Booth's box held quite the surprise - a taxidermy squirrel.

"That was probably the oddest gift I've ever gotten," she said.

Hospital administrators are helping to make the Christmas work day a little better for their staff. Florida Hospital CEO Tim Cook will be one of those coming to serve a traditional holiday meal to employees.

The service started at midnight and will occur during the two other Christmas shifts. Cook was present for the late-night dinner.

"It's a lot of fun," he said. "It's a nice way to see some of the staff."

Walking The Christmas Beat

Working a holiday shift is "nothing new" for Sebring Police Sgt. Greg Barlaug.

The Christmas Day watch commander is letting the officers take roughly two hours during their shifts to go home and spend time with their families.

He is also going to try and get all the officers together at some point during the day for a potluck-style meal.

Lt. Kenny Johnson, with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office, is also handling watch commander duty today.

The deputies will spend their Christmas shifts doing additional patrols in designated areas since the majority of businesses will be closed.

"It's going to be work as usual," Johnson said.

Evening Celebrations

While Booth is busy at the hospital, her daughters will be working in the kitchen to have a Christmas dinner ready around the time Mom gets off work at 3:30 this afternoon. Then, the family will sit down for a meal and open presents.

Milana Green, a registered nurse at Florida Hospital, is working today from 7 a.m., to 7 p.m. She had the same shift Christmas Eve, so her family decided to wake up with her at 5 a.m., so they could exchange gifts.

Then, it was back to bed for them while Green was off to work.

"It was sweet," she said.

Barlaug is going to rush home and change once his shift ends at 6 p.m., so he can sit down with his family and enjoy dinner.

Presents will then be exchanged, although it may be a safe bet that Barlaug's three children, ages 6, 5 and 2, will have already opened their gifts earlier in the day.

"They're going to be anxious," to open their presents, Barlaug said Wednesday. "They're not going to last."

Highlands Today reporter Brad Dickerson can be reached at (863) 386-5838 or bdickerson@highlandstoday.com

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