Elves Upgraded

Another reason to love the NYC fire department.

Tonight (Christmas Eve), I stepped outside my apartment and encountered 5 NYC firemen whose arms were loaded with wrapped holiday gifts. At that moment, they were having trouble locating the address of nearby apartment, in which a NYC lower income family was about to be presented with the gifts overloaded in their arms.

It was obvious that this group of guys was having the greatest time playing Santa Claus. A year of nightshifts, sitting in the fire house, silently protecting and watching, December 24 is a night they look forward to. (Personally, I would have loved to have seen the wrapping session... Incredibly capable men, become infantile when confronted with wrapping paper, scotch tape and ribbon.)

It's wonderful to know that in a city where it's easy to feel overlooked, overwhelmed and alone, NYC is truly an intricit series of small neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has their silent protectors, a network of individuals who aren't just there to respond to our 911 calls.

Side note: I fully support Santa's executive decision in replacing his elves with the NYC Fire Department.