The McComb resident, who is attending Southwest Mississippi Community College, is typical of many of those who seek holiday employment.

Taplin worked offshore for five years and quit to attend college "just before" Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. He quit to attend college, where he is pursuing a degree in radiology.

School is expensive, though, and Taplin decided he needed a job through the holidays to help meet expenses and defray the cost of Christmas gifts.

"I put out a variety of different applications and Home Depot came through for me," he said.

Taplin is hoping during the holidays to determine whether he can maintain a full-time job while still attending school, or if the two responsibilities would have too much of a detrimental effect on his education.

Taplin's situation is traditionally the type of seasonal hiring a business manager can expect during the holidays, said Greg Newman, Home Depot's manager.

Other traditional hirings include mothers needing jobs, or second jobs, to boost their income to purchase Christmas gifts. A twist to seasonal hires this year, however, are those who evacuated to Brookhaven to escape the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina on the coast, where thousands of people lost everything they owned.

Newman said his store made about 15 seasonal hires this year around early November. Among the 15 are the traditional students and mothers and also evacuees.

"We hired a few more this year anticipating a good, strong Christmas season" and also to offer employment opportunities to people displaced by the hurricane, Newman said.

In normal years, seasonal hires would be released around the end of January, when gift card business begins to slow down, Newman said. However, he said he hopes this year the company can transition as many as possible into full-time positions.

"Some of those I hired will not be leaving in January. Some will transition into regular jobs," he said.

Also, a new store opening in Clinton may be able to employ some of the seasonal hires.

"That's always an option for them as well," Newman said.

Retailers across Brookhaven have made more than the usual number of seasonal hires, said Cliff Brumfield, executive director of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce.

The city has posted record sales tax income revenue since September. Brumfield said the totals were influenced by brisk sales, travelers to the coast to aid in recovery efforts and the influx of temporary residents caused by the hurricane.

The volume of sales has prompted many retailers to add on extra help, he said.