It's that time of year again. Time to be either grumpy or jolly.

It seems that during the holiday season, people remember every little thing about our job on a call. Whether it's the person whose house we're hosing down or just bystanders, people will remember any little thing we muttered under our breath when we thought no one was listening, the look on our face, the tone of our voice — you get the idea.

Even on the repeat calls, we need to be (to quote Steve Martin) "courteous, kind, and loving." Truth be told, we should always be this way toward our customers. But, as we all well know, this isn't always the case....

So, if you are Sir or Madam Grump-A Lot, check your attitude before you get off the truck. You don't want to be on the receiving end of a customer complaint about your attitude. You don't even want to be on the receiving end of a peer complaint about your attitude.

If a Sir or Madam Grump-A Lot works for you and can't seem to get their attitude under control, give them something else to do besides dealing with people. A negative image for your department is hard to overcome, and it only needs one person to get it started.