As families across Luxembourg gather to celebrate Christmas, others spend the holiday at work, keeping emergency services, public safety and news coverage running.
Police officers, firefighters and journalists told the Luxemburger Wort that working through Christmas is part of the job — even if the day comes with its own pressures and sacrifices
Police officer Stéphanie Toth
For Stéphanie Toth, head of the national emergency response centre (113), Christmas is one of the busiest days of the year. While she is not on duty this year, she said police calls typically rise over the holidays, driven by family disputes, domestic violence, alcohol-related incidents and noise complaints.
“There are many interventions, and our patrols are constantly on the go,” she said. “The employees aren’t sitting at their desks idling; they’re actually working through one call after another.”
Stéphanie Toth started police training in 2004 and has spent many a public holiday on duty since then © Photo credit: Chris Karaba
Toth said the emergency centre is staffed by just four people on Christmas Eve, making patience from the public especially important. She added that police work is planned months in advance, allowing officers to prepare their personal lives accordingly. “It’s simply a job that is needed 24/7,” she said.
The employees aren’t sitting at their desks idling; they’re actually working through one call after another
Stéphanie Toth
Cheffe de Salle of the Intervention Centre (113) at the police station
Professional firefighter Win Schuman
At the CGDIS, the Christmas atmosphere is brought into the fire station. Professional firefighter Win Schuman, who is on a night shift from 20:00 to 08:00 on Christmas Eve, said teams plan their schedules well in advance and celebrate with family on alternative days.
“We make it cosy here,” he said, adding that colleagues cook together and decorate the station. “The holidays are always great here. We grow even closer as a team and laugh a lot.”
Win Schuman has been a professional firefighter for a year. Before that, he was a volunteer for six years © Photo credit: Eva Krins
“We make it cosy here,” he said, adding that colleagues cook together and decorate the station. “The holidays are always great here. We grow even closer as a team and laugh a lot.”
Schuman noted that while Christmas night shifts can be quieter, emergency calls are usually serious. “If we’re called out, it’s a real emergency,” he said, stressing that people should never hesitate to dial 112, even on public holidays.
Despite the demands of the job, Schuman said moments of gratitude make the work worthwhile. “It’s our profession, but we still appreciate every ‘thank you’,” he said. “When a grandmother says ‘merci’ on the holidays, it goes straight to the heart.”
The holidays are always great here. We grow together even more as a team and laugh a lot
Win Schuman
CGDIS
Part of the team – there are actually 27 emergency personnel on shift. Fun is the name of the game here © Photo credit: Eva Krins
Journalist Sabrina Backes
Holidays also mean continued work in newsrooms. Sabrina Backes, a journalist at the Luxemburger Wort, was scheduled to work from 08:00 to 18:00 on Boxing Day.
“My main task on that day is to make sure our website is up to date. Some articles come online that are pre-planned. These then have to be placed at the top of the homepage. Important news is immediately sent to readers as a push notification and I create a newsletter that summarises the latest news,” said the journalist. Sabrina also informs readers about current events, such as accidents.
Sabrina Backes has been working as a journalist for the Luxemburger Wort since summer 2023 and also writes articles for the weekly magazine Télécran © Photo credit: Chris Karaba
“The goal is that people look at their phone, open the app and are immediately up to date,” Backes said, adding that “even if people increasingly tend to push aside what is happening in the world, they still have to be informed when something happens.”
(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Translation and editing by Kabir Agarwal.)