Around Town Fire trucks deliver a holiday tradition AMY ROSEN Idid not grow up in New Jersey, but it is home to me. I have lived here just about half my life and raised a family here, but I still get as excited as a small child when I hear the fire engine sirens getting closer to my house on the Saturday closest to Christmas. It means Santa is on his way. When I was a child growing up in Brooklyn, sirens would always mean trouble. It usually meant the weeds in the lots at the end of the block were on fire again. So when my husband and I moved to our first home in Old Bridge, we freaked out when the entire local fire company came down our townhouse development's narrow street. We ran outside only to be totally delighted when Santa came by on top of one of the fire trucks waving to everyone, shouting "Ho, ho, ho," and throwing candy canes. I was so elated that I was almost moved to tears. Ever since then, every time the sirens sound around this time of year, I grab the closest kid I have and run to the window or out into the street, depending on the weather, and wave and yell, "Merry Christmas!" to Santa and his helpers. AMY ROSEN Santa Claus' annual visit to the writer's neighborhood, courtesy of volunteer firefighters, makes her feel good. To this day I am moved by the effort that our brave volunteer firefighters make to not only be there to protect and save us from harm, but to keep this quaint tradition going as well. And when they come around in the town I live in now, I still make the effort to greet them. It's the least I can do to validate their efforts - and besides, I really, really like that they do it! So when the fire engines come down my block, I grab the youngest child in my house (who is now 13 and totally embarrassed) and we run out and say, "Merry Christmas." My son thinks I go a little too far because I get so overwhelmed and happy to see the volunteers, but he, too, thinks it's nice that they do it and graciously accepts a candy cane from one of Santa's helpers. This year it was a misty, rainy day and Santa had a surprise for us. Instead of being on top of a fire truck, he and Mrs. Claus were sitting on a quad that was secured to a platform covered with a red canopy and pulled by an emergency services truck. I ran inside to grab my camera and my son said, "Mom, you're going too far. You're not going to stop Santa and Mrs. Claus to interview them for an article, are you? "No, silly," I said, although I had briefly thought about it. "I just want a nice picture to remember this day with." Even though my family's tradition is to celebrate Hanukkah, I have no problem respecting and embracing the Christmas spirit and what it brings. I admire the lights on the houses and the spirit of peace and good will toward man (and woman and child) that the holiday season brings to people of all backgrounds. Why would anyone want to reject that? Our politically correct Santa also said "Happy Holidays," which was nice, and we wished him that back and said "Merry Christmas" as well - after all, it was Santa Claus. I have many friends who celebrate Christmas and we respect each other's traditions. And that's what it's really all about - respecting differences in everyone throughout the year. If we could spread that message to everyone and eliminate hatred of others for differences in traditions and choices, life would be less complicated and we could all live in peace on the planet that we share. Wouldn't that be nice? I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and wish world peace, harmony and happiness for us all in the new year. Amy Rosen is a staff writer with Greater Media Newspapers.