Making holidays special by celebrating unsung heroes

(BPT) - The holidays are about the home and celebrating time with friends and family. It’s a time to cherish the warmth, comfort and company of being around those we love most. For some, however, work keeps them away from the ones they love.

Many unsung heroes spend the late night hours working to keep everyone safe. Firefighters, emergency rescue personnel, security officers, health care workers and even animal shelter staff members often will miss out on the holiday celebrations because they’re working the night shift.

This season, Nestle Coffee-mate and The Bachelorette’s Trista and Ryan Sutter, a night shift firefighter for 17-plus years, surprised a community’s unsung heroes – night shift employees who devote their time and energy to making the holidays special at the expense of spending time with their own families.

The team set out on a mission to spread holiday cheer to those who deserve it most – including a war veteran and registered nurse at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, a pet adoption center employee who exhibits an undying passion for helping four-legged friends, paramedics, security guards and more – by sharing an uplifting moment of sweet relief to help fuel their spirits and nights. The heart-warming reactions in the YouTube video give a deeper appreciation for those who do so much for our community while everyone else sleeps.

Whether you’ll be enjoying quality time with family and friends over a seasonal creamed cup of coffee or relishing in your coffee break complete with a rich and creamy cup of coffee to help you get through your busy night, adding a festive splash of cream to your coffee goes a long way. Coffee-mate brought back classic favorites – Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Mocha – and introduced several new delicious flavors – Spiced Rum Cake, Butter Toffee, Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie and Snickerdoodle – to help make your holiday season merry and bright.

Some ways you can also celebrate the unsung heroes in your community include:

* Make a cookie platter

* Share a gift card

* Pay them a visit

* Say “thank you”