The nights are getting longer, but thanks to warm homes, an abundance of healthy food, and the company of our friends and family, the winter days seem especially bright. While it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life, the holiday season is a time to remember what’s really important. As we near the end of the year, take a moment to reflect on the people and things that matter most to you. Then take another moment to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to protect them.
Making Memories
For better or worse, shopping has become an integral part of the holiday season for many people. As you rush out to the store and battle the crowds to take advantage of another Black Friday sale, stop and think about why we go shopping this time of year. Sure, you might buy something for yourself while it’s discounted – no one can blame you for taking advantage of a good deal to treat yourself – but the holiday sales exist primarily so we can buy gifts for other people. And why do we do that? So that we can show them how much they mean to us. So that we can bring a smile to someone’s face.
Ultimately, it’s not about the gifts we buy, but the people for whom we buy them. It’s not about the possessions we own, but how these possessions help us spend time with the ones we love.
During the holiday season, family and friends come together to celebrate. Gifts may be exchanged, but the most important thing is that people come together. We take time out of our busy work schedules and travel to other cities, states, and even countries to reconnect with the people we cherish most. We have good times and make new memories. That’s what the holiday season is really about.
Giving Thanks
It’s been a challenging year – or two – for many people. When life is difficult, it’s easy to focus on the things that go wrong: the job you didn’t get, the relationship that didn’t work out, the loved one you lost, and all the other misfortunes, both large and small, that befall us all.
Nevertheless, we have so much to be thankful for.
This holiday season, take time to reflect on the things you’re thankful for: the roof over your head, the clothes on your back, the food in your belly, the leftovers in the refrigerator, the people you love, and the people who love you. Don’t take these gifts for granted. Count your blessings and give thanks.
In addition to being thankful for all that we have, we must also be mindful of how quickly things can change. Recent events have demonstrated how precarious life can be. From natural disasters to viral outbreaks and economic recession, hardships can turn our lives upside down in the blink of an eye. That’s one more reason not to take anything for granted.
Being Mindful
Part of being happy is cherishing what we already have. This holiday season, make a conscious effort to give thanks for your friends and family along with everything else you have that’s good in your life, whether it’s your job, your house, your car, or something else.
But don’t just cherish the things you have. Instead, take proactive steps to protect the things that matter to you.
We don’t know what will happen in the future, but we don’t know that losses are more common than we would like. Fires, storms, thefts, crashes, and other unexpected events can disrupt our lives and make the holiday season – or any other time of year – seem a little less bright.
And even though people are more important than things, things can be important to people. Your house is where your family eats, sleeps, and wakes every day, and it’s where your loved ones gather for holidays and birthdays. Your car is how you get to your child’s graduation or recital, and it’s how you pick up food for your holiday meal or pick your parents up from the airport. Therefore, protecting your family means keeping your home and car safe for them.
Taking Precautions
This holiday season, you’ll make memories that you’ll cherish for years to come. But, you can also take steps to keep those future holiday seasons safe and happy.
There are many ways to protect your loved one. You can get your chimney professionally cleaned to help prevent fires, and you can make sure all the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are working correctly. You can check the brakes and tires on your car and double (or triple) check that the child car seat is installed correctly.
You can also secure insurance.
Insurance is all about protecting the things that matter to us. With health insurance, we can make sure that everyone in our family will have access to the medical care they need. With car insurance, we can make sure we’re covered if our family is in a crash. With homeowners insurance, we can make sure that we’ll be able to repair or rebuild after a fire, so our family will always have a safe, warm home to return to during all the holidays seasons of the future. Even insurance for possessions like boats and ATVs serves the purpose of protecting our investments so we can keep enjoying good times with our friends and family.
Looking out for the Ones We Love
We have so much to be grateful for. This holiday season, don’t take the people or the things in your life for granted. Show your love and appreciation – and then take steps to protect the things you have and the people you care about.
We are honored to help you safeguard what really is important. We wish you a magical and memorable holiday season!
