If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
But if anybody can stand heat, it's the guys with the Charleston Fire Department.
"Luckily, it's been a pretty quiet day," said Capt. Craig Matthews.
Seven men reported to work Monday at Station One, located on Morris Street, along with almost 30 other firefighters at Station Two on the city's West Side.
It doesn't matter that it's Christmas Eve. Like every other day of the year, these men respond to fires, car wrecks, and other emergencies.
But like so few other days of the year, these men make time to break bread together.
Not only is Matthews the captain...today he is also the executive chef.
Eating Christmas dinner is a tradition many firefighters said make missing the holiday at home a little more bearable.
"I miss my two daughters," said Corey Dean, a paramedic and firefighter. "I'm here away from them. The dinner really helps a lot. That's one regular family function that we can center our day around that's normal when everything else is so chaotic."
Others said working on holidays is just part of the job.
"That's just one of the trade-offs you're going to get, the community needs to be protected 24/7, 365 days a year," Matthews said.
While some said working on Christmas Eve is a miracle all on its own.
"I'm just happy I have a job and I met these wonderful people," said Seth Peterson, a paramedic and firefighter who originally hails from Sandusky, Ohio. "My father was a firefighter so I grew up in the firehouse atmosphere."
Christmas is just another day for firefighters, but at least today, they do get a little more help at home.
"Well, Santa is Santa," Dean said. "So he takes care of stuff when I get home from work. So when I get home in the morning, Santa's done his thing, and we're good to go."
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