Many working on this Christmas Day - KMSP-TV

While many people have the day off on Christmas, not everyone is so lucky. For some, Christmas is just another day on the job. 

There are those who are still keeping the city up and running for the holiday. 

For a boy who wants to be a firefighter when he grows up, Christmas gifts don't get much better than this. 

"It's cool to hang out with my dad and the guys. This is what I want to do when I get older." 

Ethan Allanach spent this holiday at Ladder Company 15 with his dad, Nathan. Nathan is one of the crew here at the firehouse in Lower Manhattan. 

Like emergency personal everywhere, working on the holiday is part of the job. This year, this father and son are glad to be able to spend it together. 

"I'm a single father. He actually just recently moved in with me about a year ago and it's hard at time -- the job itself -- very understanding it's a brotherhood," said Nathan Allanach. 

"We all have families too and we try to make the best of it." 

The Christmas tree here is in the same room as a memorial to the firefighters from who lost their lives on September 11th. A reminder Lt. Gregory Lynch says, of how quickly life can change at any time on any day. 

"We're here for the city for 24 hours, we never close," said Lynch. 

And while they're working and trying to make the best of it with decorations on the windows and the trucks -- the pride of South Street thinks of itself as a family. 

It's one Ethan and Nate are glad to be part of. 

"It goes way back when the fire department first came around you know. That's why you have cousins, fathers and uncles that are one the job," said one Company 15 fireman. 

This particular firehouse in Lower Manhattan was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. On this day there were several people working at office buildings in the area along South Street doing renovations -- work that still needs to be done nearly two months after the storm.