Work intervenes for some locals on Christmas

LYNN – They say there?s no place like home for the holidays, but many across the city spent their Christmas Day at work.Istiak Ahmed, 22, was one of those workers keeping the lights on at Richdale in downtown Lynn yesterday, from Christmas afternoon until 11 p.m., where the store was buzzing, being one of the few open for the holiday. A native of Bangladesh, Christmas with the family wasn?t an option for Ahmed – he said hasn?t seen his family in his home country in three years.Though Ahmed said he talked to his family on the phone that morning and attended a party with friend Christmas Eve, he said it was “still a bummer” working on Christmas. Waving his arm at customers in the store who were stopping in before heading to parties or home to cook dinner, Ahmed said, “I see everyone celebrating, but I?m not. I?m working. So it?s not good.”National Guard Specialist Lisa Meucci understands well what it?s like to be far from home on Christmas. Stationed in Afghanistan last year, she recalled the heartache of being without her Saugus-based family.?Being away for Christmas is horrible,” said Meucci. ” One, you can?t be with your whole family and two, trying to Skype with them is the absolute worst ? the Internet there is so slow ? It aggravated a lot of us, but it is what it is.”Meucci said she and her fellow troops made the best of the situation, decorating the military trucks with festive lights and distributing Christmas care packages while wearing Santa hats to holiday music. “The little things is where it counts,” said Meucci. “The smiles we got from everyone … were all we needed to know they felt a little at home.”Meucci said she remembered that feeling as she watched her niece open her gifts yesterday.?Being home for Christmas after being gone 11 months is priceless,” she said. “After being gone and deployed you appreciate the little things in life a lot of people don?t even stop to think about ? it?s something you cherish so much more.”Lynn resident Kenny Runyan had the same sentiment. The Marines corporal who was stationed at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, reflected on the holiday he spent away from home in 2011. “I was 6,500 miles from my home waiting to celebrate Christmas with friends so close they are basically family,” Runyan wrote yesterday in a Facebook message. “[Now] I?m only three miles from my parents? house with the ability to spend time with family, and thankful to be here.”Runyan said he was grateful to be able to make more than just a phone call this year to wish he family a Merry Christmas. “It certainly puts things in perspective and I realize just how lucky I am to be home surrounded by family and friends during the holiday season.”