The 25th is just another day
on the job for some workers
By Shawn Wirtz
Of I hr Emerald
While most people can expect
to spend Christmas at home
with family and friends, for
others it's just another day on
the job.
Christmas doesn't stop ac
cidents or crime, and it doesn't
make the job of being a police
officer any easier. "It's the reali
ty of emergency services work."
said Eugene police officer Bob
Holland.
Holland will work the swing
shift Christmas Day from 3 p.m
to 11 p.m. "It makes it difficult
to get together with the family."
Holland said. His family often
celebrates Christmas on his
closest day off rather than
Christmas itself, he said.
Holland tries not to let work
ing on Christmas bother him, he
said. "I don't feel like the I.one
Ranger," he said. "You’ve got
the people you w’ork with.”
"I try and be in the spirit of
things." Holland said. For in
stance, “I don’t give tickets on
Christmas if I can at all avoid
it," he said.
Holland has worked the last
five Christinas Days, and they
are a little different from most
other days, he said. "Usually
the call load on Christmas is
relatively light,” he said. Of the
calls police officers do get, there
is “an inordinate amount of
family disputes." he said.
Either a father comes home after
a lengthy absence, or alcohol ig
nites family tensions, he said.
Alcohol also plays a big part
in the workday of convenience
store clerks who work on
Christmas. In addition to last
minute ingredients for
Christmas dinner, alcohol is
one of the biggest sellers, said
7-Eleven employee Jack
Santerre. Customers usually
joke about getting stuck work
ing on Christmas, but “some of
them are almost apologetic," he
said.
Other than celebrating
Christmas Eve rather than
Christmas Day. working really
doesn’t spoil his holiday, he
said. “I’m too old now.
Christmas just isn’t what it used
to be.”
Carrie Farmer, another
7-Eleven employee, said she
doesn’t resent working • on
Christmas. She and her co
workers each work a four-hour
shift rather than the usual eight
hour shift, so "the only crimp
is. 1 have to get up early,” she
said.
king's Table restaurants also
will fie open on Christmas. ”YVe
get a pretty good turnout.” ac
cording .to Larry Haresnape.
advertising and promotion
manager. “A lot of people who
don't want to cook at home
come to king's Table,” he said.
“What we get' at Christmas
time are a lot of seniors, a lot of
couples who may not have
families here and large families
who would rather do something
else than cook," he said.
Christmas doesn’t stop
newspapers either, but it usual
ly makes for a light news day.
said Cynthia Anderson.
Register-Guard assistant city
editor. Only one part-time
reporter works Christmas Day.
but "if something big happens,
we could always call someone
in,” she said
The Register-Guard relies
heavily on wire reports and
features to fill its after
Christmas edition, Anderson
said. "We do it all ahead of
time."
At Sacred Heart General
Hospital, fewer operations are
scheduled for Christmas Day,
but the same number of staff
members are scheduled to
work, said L.ynn Griffith, a
registration clerk in the
emergency room. The emergen
cy room schedule reads like the
"Twelve Days of Christmas"
three nurses, two clerks, a
physician and a technician, per
shift.
Each year, employees
"basically put in a request for
days off.” so it usually works
out so that those who work
don't mind, Griffith said. "If
you work in a medical situation,
you realize you can’t request it
off every year.” she said. In
stead, employees with small
children or those who worked
the previous year get priority,
she said.
■UOBookstore
CASH
FOR BOOKS
Nebraska Book Co.,
Wholesale Book Buyers
will be here
FINALS WEEK
DEC. 15th-19th
TEXTBOOK BUYBACK
EVERYDAY
Now is the best time
to sell your books back.
Come in early for fast service.
j
I Your store since 1920
■ 13th K Kincaid
I If IMF/ 30 5 30
SAT 10 00 4 00
BOOKSTORE 6864331
All of your favorite
Apple Products In Stock
at The Computer Store
Now there is absolutely NO WAITING for the Apple & related
products you may want for Christmas. You'll find them today,
ready to install in your home or business. So make your Christmas
even brighter with an Apple Computer from Jhg Computer Store.
Th# Afp4a lie • Th# pawful porlabi* «*fh
128K RAM, Oik [>rv». Monflof ASund
pkm « aonypkf corrput*/ lt*acy U
ThaAroto HOS • Th» na» amrntor d
Appto «, Sound / O/ftHa EriraonMun
J1?K M«mo*y. HOB Mon*o> * 2 OrlUM
Th* Appte It* • Th* dMhiop compute of
choc* m •choalt. (Cl mi— K 17) with
1?flK RAM. Dftk DrV*. Monitor A St*x)
J
Amiflca* 2 most popuUr pnnt«r» • V»
tmag«Wrl«r II A I. —rWrt«r Print an, for
ttttbottlnhighipMd AtypoMtqudfty
Al of Acpt*•orogrwTB * •
H«d OMu, I item* CMk [>W«.
Modern Mu. JoyMida. 1 SoNmw
You've come to The Right Place
the computer store
35 W 8th, Eugene 343-1434
Aulftori/ed Apple (amNh
& Sorvco CotHv*
«r*» f— .HW jrfc* o« n a «.«**» vfcc*M<lr>^.U*hv*av Iru
o* .h om’»<