Take care of one another this holiday season

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Nicki Beard
  • 11th Medical Group First Sergeant
BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C. (AFPN) --  As a young airman first class in 1986, I spent my first holiday season away from friends and family. I was stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and was farther away from home than I had ever been.

At the time, I was fortunate enough to have a supervisor who made sure his young airmen and junior noncommissioned officers had plans for Christmas. He served us dinner in his home on Christmas Eve and even sent us home with enough leftovers to last through Christmas Day. On the day following Christmas, he stopped by the dorm to check up on us and spent a little time hanging out with us in the day room.

From time to time, I think about that experience, and I am glad my supervisor was there. Granted, this was not a Christmas like any other I had ever experienced, but this supervisor did what he could to make it feel a little more like home for all of us.

Seventeen years have passed since my first holiday season spent away from family and friends, and once again, the holiday season is fast approaching.

My day-to-day schedule is pretty full. There are parties to plan and parties to attend. I have a family of my own now who all deserve the perfect gift, and I must fight traffic and share the mall with 3 million other holiday shoppers who are also looking for that perfect gift. I will bake dozens of cookies, decorate my house for the season and send countless Christmas cards. I will do all of these things while managing the endless “to-do” list that sits on my desk. Somewhere in this schedule I will find the time to enjoy the season for what it truly is.

My guess is that most people’s holiday schedule is much like mine. Yet we must each find the time to look at those around us, especially those who are young and alone for the first time, and ensure that everyone is taken care of for the holiday season.

We must be actively involved on a daily basis to be able to reach out to those around us and make a real impact. We all have peers who we work alongside every day. That day-to-day contact makes them comfortable with us. When they talk to us and share their problems and concerns with us, we need to really listen. We may not be able to solve their problems, but just taking the time to hear them out may make all the difference in the world to them.

As supervisors and leaders, we should take the time to cultivate strong professional relationships so those we supervise will feel comfortable telling us what issues they face.

We should know each individual we supervise personally. We should know their spouses’ names and how many children they have. Don’t be afraid to ask those you supervise what their holiday plans will be. Ask for details such as where they are going, what they will be doing and whom they will be with. If they are leaving town, ask them when they will be returning. Not when their leave is ending, but when they will physically return.

Make contact with your people throughout the season. If they are staying in the area, give them a call, wish them happy holidays and ask how they are. Pay special attention to those young airmen in the dormitory or who may be new single parents. Every effort must be made to ensure they are not spending this time alone. Feelings of loneliness and isolation are frequently amplified this time of year. For those who are young and away from home for the first time, these feelings can be overwhelming.

If you supervise young airmen in the dormitory, make time to drop by. If you do nothing else, you can see who might be hanging out in the common area and leave them some goodies.

For those who travel out of town, give them a call when they return. Yes, some may look at it as a trust issue, but if you have built the right relationship, they will understand that you are interested and concerned that they had a safe trip as well as a fulfilling holiday season.

So, if you have been skimming through this article looking for the key points to take away with you, here they are. Seventeen years ago, I was blessed with a supervisor who was genuinely concerned with the well-being of his troops. It is true, I would have survived that holiday season even without his involvement, but the fact that he took the time to make sure we were all taken care of made a tremendous difference.

As supervisors and leaders, we must all follow his example. We may be busy and stressed, but we cannot forget that as a military community we are a family. It is our responsibility to do our part in seeing that we all celebrate this season together.