Morris Lovette wakes up on Christmas morning and, instead of counting presents under the tree, counts the heads of inmates inside the Warren County Jail.

For four years Lovette has spent Christmas behind bars, where taking care of and guarding Warren County’s inmates has become his Christmas routine.

“A typical day starts off when you make your head count,” the jailer said. “Then you start your own routine. You got serving lunch, you’ve got medicine, you’ve got guys that will take insulin, some that take heart medicine. It’s always something different.”

But being a jailer, especially during the holidays, is much more than just watching the inmates. Lovette is part liaison, part bodyguard and part makeshift therapist to the dozens of inmates who live in the jail. Many times he’s the only outside contact they’ll have that day.

“We do more than just lock them up,” he said. “We gain relationships with them. We’re here with them every day.”

Like on the outside world, Christmastime is a cheerier scene inside the jail than normal. The inmates are typically better behaved, Lovette said, especially since he has established relationships with them that is equal parts understanding and respect.

“I try to treat them like men first. I don’t want to disrespect nobody and I don’t want to be disrespected,” Lovette said. “Once you gain that respect from the inmates, they’re like regular people. They’ll wish you Merry Christmas, how’s your family doing. Besides what they’ve done, they have some good about them.”

People like Morris are forced to rearrange their holiday celebrations to coincide with their oftentimes-thankless jobs. Instead of eating Christmas lunch, for instance, Morris and his family will most likely celebrate the holidays around dinnertime after he gets off.

“You just rearrange how you celebrate the holidays,” sheriff Martin Pace said. “I guess for most people the big Christmas dinner would be at noon, but if you have to work from 8-4 in the jail, your big Christmas dinner might be at 5’o clock that evening.”

Morris said he’ll enjoy a nice meal with his three-year-old son when he gets off of work, and then they’ll open presents and enjoy each other’s company.

So while most businesses close and employees relish a day off spent with family and friends, people like Morris dutifully put on their uniform and go to work — serving the public without being seen.

“The most visible portion of the sheriff’s office would be the uniformed deputies out in the field, but many times the unsung heroes are the jail deputies that are working inside (the jail),” sheriff Martin Pace said. “Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, they’re here.”