For most people, working on Christmas means having to be away from your family.
But for a pair of Oxon Hill firefighters, it actually brings the family together.
John Elie and his son, Chris, say that working together doesn’t really seem like work at all.
“There’s a camaraderie that you don’t find anywhere else, and to share that with my son is something I never in my life thought would happen,” says the elder Elie.
Chris agrees, saying that working with Dad now makes up for childhood holidays when his father was not there.
“I can remember so many Christmases with him not being there and my mom and my sibling opening presents," Chris said. "So it’s nice to have him around.”
And there are Christmas traditions within the firehouse. One is trading shifts with a comrade who has young children.
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In fact, that’s what Chris did for one of his fellow firefighters on Christmas.
And despite the mutual pride between father and son, there’s definitely still time for good-natured jabs.
"Dad kicked me out of his house three or four years ago. Now I'm back in his other house!"
