From early Christmas morning while children are nestled all snug in their beds and throughout the day as families gather to celebrate, Dominic Prewitt will be watching over several hundred miles of power lines, making sure all stays merry and bright.

While the holidays give most of us a chance to relax and share special times with family, many Gulf Power Company employees will be manning the switches, control rooms, line trucks and power plants, serving customers as the power flows through Northwest Florida.

Prewitt works in the Distribution Control Center, a round-the-clock-and-calendar facility that serves like an air traffic control center for line crews. And with thunderstorms forecast to roll through Northwest Florida on Christmas Day, Gulf Power line crews will be on call to serve.

These employees adjust their Christmas time so they can celebrate with their families before or after their shifts.

“While we know it’s important to be with your family during the holidays, our commitment to service is year-round, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power manager of Corporate Communications. “Many Gulf Power employees will be working Christmas serving our customers in many ways.”

From Pensacola to Panama City, linemen such as Danny Schlief in Fort Walton Beach, are rolling their trucks to serve customers in case of outages.

Anita Johnson is part of the scrubber reclaimed water team at Plant Crist, which along with Plant Smith and the Perdido Landfill Gas Facility, generate electricity for Gulf Power customers.

The Customer Care Center is staffed as well, with employees Wes Hudgens, Susan Mercer and others ready to take calls and answer customer questions.

“Our focus centers on our customers — and providing reliable electric service is something that can’t take a day off,” Rogers said. “We hope that all is calm, and we wish everyone a safe, happy — and bright — holiday season.”

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 430,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at GulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”