CHARLOTTE- Streets were deserted and very few stores were open for business on Christmas Day. Even though most everything closes on a major holiday like Christmas, we can't forget about the workforce that's keeping things running.
Despite it being a major holiday, emergency responders are always open for business. "We've had some traumatic injuries from people on Christmas presents," explained MEDIC supervisor Don Shue. Paramedics responded to a number of injuries involving accidents on personal scooters. "We had a couple falls," Shue said. "[They would] take it out there in the yard or the street for the first time and it gets away from them."
It's a stark reminder that life goes on and someone must always be on duty. "A lot of people are off but there's a lot of people that are still out there working," Shue added. He points to police, firefighters, hospital staff, and those in air travel. "This morning when I was coming in I was seeing all the planes landing at the airport and I was thinking, oh there's crew's out there working, getting people here to see their families."
Don Shue is absolutely right. An estimated 45.2 million people decided to fly in or fly out on the days right around Christmas, making the day like any other at Charlotte-Douglas Int’l Airport.
"I thought it was gone be slow but it’s not,” said airport employee Doug Smith. “It’s still picking up."
That’s not what Smith expected when he learned he'd be working on Christmas Day. "This is my first Christmas[working]." He's somewhat of an ambassador to passengers along the piuck-up lanes outside of baggage claim. "…Where they get a rental car, where they get a motel shuttle, where they park their car," Smith explained.
It's work he enjoys even though he, and others like him, are away from family. "I like working with people,” Smith said. “They're real nice and you meet some good people here."
But when it comes to Christmas dinner with his loved ones, here's the real reason why he didn't have a problem working: "It's gone be there when I get there ‘cause they start late," Smith cleverly added.
The latest data from the Office of National Statistics shows that as many as 3.3 percent of American employees work on Christmas Day. That equates to about 1.04 million people on the clock on Christmas Day.