What is Christmas like for you and your family? My family has our main celebration on Christmas Eve. For as long as I can remember, we would gather at my mom and dad’s house in Georgetown, Ont., on Dec. 24. We enjoy tasty appetizers, a hearty meal, a Scotch tasting, singing carols, opening presents, sharing many laughs and conversations with immediate and extended family.

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I am one of those people who start listening to Christmas carols as soon as they are on the radio and I spend lots of time admiring the beauty of our Christmas tree and the sentimental ornaments that we use to decorate it.

As I’ve grown, it has become less about the presents that I receive, and more about the presents that I give. The feeling of seeing a young child tear open the wrapping paper to get the latest toy is unparalleled.

This year will be different for the Zelek family, as we prepare for our first Christmas since my mom passed from colon cancer at the end of the summer. Her absence is felt every day, but even more so around the holidays.

Supportive community

I am very thankful to have a community full of support from my family, my work, my friends and my fiancée. As tough as Christmas will be, being around these wonderful people should make it more bearable.

This leads me to the topic of this column, Christmas for truck drivers. While many companies are closed during the holidays, there are lots of longhaul drivers who do not have the luxury of being home for Christmas.

This can be a choice, as some companies offer extra pay for those who work on the holiday. There are also lots of drivers who choose to work around this time because they do not celebrate Christmas. However, there are many drivers who do not have a choice. Some of them might have been delayed with a missed appointment or a highway closure. Others work because they cannot afford not to; they need to provide for their family, even if it means being 1,000 miles away from them.

I spoke with one driver who spent Christmas on the road when he was newly licensed. He was the newest driver at his company and was told that he could not book the time off. It did not matter that his wife was at home with their two young children, his Christmas was to be spent in a truck.

This was before the time of tablets and FaceTime, so the only communication was over the phone, without being physically able to see the excitement on the little one’s faces. It was his first as well as his last Christmas on the road.

A different driver told me about his first Christmas on the road. He spent the night at some truck stop in the States, where he had his “Christmas dinner” with the other drivers at the truck stop. There were five of them, all of them from different backgrounds and most originating from other countries.

Some had families on the continent, others had family overseas. These drivers talked, shared stories and wished each other well. But the warmth and love from family members, the smell of fresh baked cookies or a turkey did not exist. Aside from some cheap decorations, there was not much “Christmasy” about this Christmas.

Be thankful

As you read this, please think about the truck drivers that are going to be out on the road this holiday season. They make this sacrifice to provide for their family and to make sure that our shelves stay fully stocked.

Be thankful that you have the ability to surround yourself with loved ones. You only have a certain amount of Christmases on this Earth; it would be a shame to give up even one of them. I was so blessed to have spent every single Christmas of my life with my mom and it would be eating me up inside if I had missed even one of these because I had to work.

Enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. Hug them tight, have many conversations and laughs, and be grateful that you have the opportunity to do this.