A Special Gift from Santa - Jim Klocek's Walk Down Memory Lane

When everyone in the agency decided to share a part of Christmas on this blog, it took some time for me to think of what I should share. But as time passed, I had to think of my favorite Christmas present ever, and then it came to me.

When I was 2 years old I received a new rocking horse from Santa, which I still have today. That horse and I spent years watching Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid on our 10" Black & White TV. How times have changed, but I still cherish this present.

Now that I have grandkids, they enjoy a ride on my trusty old steed. Not bad for a 63 year old nag!

Hey Cisco; Hey Pancho and a Hi Ho Silver....Now I watch ME TV to see all the reruns I enjoyed as a boy.



Growing up in a Polish family, I have carried out the traditional baking of my family. This bread is made every Christmas and every Easter. I hope you enjoy.

Babka

(Polish Bread)



3 cups scalded milk


1 cup shortening
3 cups sugar         
2 tsp salt

combine the above 3 ingredients and melt by adding the scalded milk while it is still hot


  6 large eggs well beaten

1 ½ cakes of yeast or 4 packages dissolved in 1 cup warm water ( add a little sugar )



12 cups of flour

2-3 cups of raisins



Combine all ingredients after yeast has doubled. Knead the dough well until smooth. Place in 5-6 bread pans (greased) filled about half way and let rise.

Bake in oven about 1 hour at 350 until starts to brown, brush top with egg or butter and let brown the last 5 minutes.


Great plain or toasted, with butter and makes awesome French Toast.

Have a Merry Christmas Jim Klocek

The Little Christmas Cabin - Julie Shoffner

The Little Christmas Cabin


I have always considered myself a creative soul so it’s not surprising that most of my favorite holiday memories revolve around the act of making something either with someone or for someone. Whether I’m preparing a meal, baking cookies or making ornaments I have always enjoyed creating something unique and special for the people I love. Now that I am a parent I especially enjoy making things with my seven year old son. Aside from the usual cookies and candies we make, we have a special project that we work on every year for my husband. Many years ago my husband’s grandfather crafted a small log cabin that he placed under the family Christmas tree. When my husband was a little boy his mother started adding some additional details to the little Christmas cabin. A light was added on the inside as well as some little chairs and a tiny table. She even added a tiny flower painting on the wall. My mother-in-law has since passed on and my husband has inherited the little Christmas cabin. Now every year my son and I add a little something to it to make it more like a cozy little home. One year we added a Christmas tree inside. Last year we added a reindeer and some bears outside. This year my son added six little Christmas carolers. If you look close enough at the photo below you can see two tiny carolers singing by the tree. Maybe next year there will be a turkey dinner on the table too.

Another project my son and I do each year once the weather is below freezing is to make Ice Lanterns. A easy way to make your home look warm and cozy on a cold winter night. This is espcially pretty when there is snow on the ground or when you are hosting a holiday party.

How to Make An Ice Lantern:

You will need a large bucket, a plastic container smaller than the bucket (a coffee can works well), duct tape and a tea light or flamless candle.

1-fill the bucket 3/4 full of water. (if you want to get fancy you can add a bit of food coloring to the water)

2-place the smaller container inside the bucker of water but don't let it fill up with water.

3-place some rocks inside the smaller container to weigh it down so it sits about half way down into the water in the bucket but not all the way to the bottom.

4-place a strip of duct tape across the top of the large bucket so it holds down the smaller container in the water. Set aside until frozen solid.

5-run warm water over the outside of the large bucket to remove the ice from the bucket. Run some warm water inside the small container to loosen and remove it. This leaves an indentation in the lantern into which you can place the candle.

You can make several of these to line your front stairs, sidewalk or driveway!

Have a wonderful Holiday.

Julie Shoffner

A Frank Zimmerman Christmas

As I look back on our favorite holiday memories, my wife and our 2 daughters have kept the same tradition with their grandparents (my wife's parents) ever since they were very young.  Every Christmas eve we get together for soup and salad - we always have 2 soups - but one has to be chicken broth with meat filled tortellini for Grandpa Love.  Then we all attend evening worship service at our church with the highlight always his rendition of "Silent Night."  Christmas morning is the opening of presents.  This is not just a brief event - but a one at a time opening - starting with stuffed stockings from over the fireplace, and then opening presents.  Grandpa's comments are always the favorite "oh is that ever neat!"  For several years we even video taped the opening of presents until video went out of style.

This year will be bittersweet as grandpa passed away this past September.  Both girls will be home for Christmas eve and Christmas day, so we will continue the tradition with Grandma Love - but it will not be quite the same without Grandpa.  Maybe we will break out one of the videos or listen to a lasting treasure we have - a CD that our daughter recorded a few years ago of Grandpa singing many of his favorite songs, including "Silent Night."  But life goes on, and we will start new traditions as we anxiously await the birth of our first grandchild - a baby girl due in late April!

In closing, below is our favorite holiday recipe from my mother (deceased 10 yrs ago) for a Scotch Short Bread (recipe handed down through her descendants from Scotland.)

1 1/4 lb flour (4 cups)
1 lb butter   
8 oz sugar (1 cup)

Cream the sugar & butter together.  Gradually add the flour.  Press lightly into pan.  Prick with fork as for pie crust.  Bake in low oven = 300 for about 1 1/2 hours.  Cut into pieces while hot.  Cool and remove from pan.

Happy Holidays!
Frank Zimmerman, Agent 

Kathi DePolis - Christmas Memories

Is there a more beautiful memory than one of a child remembering Christmas?  I think not.

From the time I was a small child, every year my sister and I would receive a Christmas ornament for St. Nicholas day which is celebrated on December 6^th.  (read about St Nicholas around the world).  Since my father’s ancestors came from Bohemia, we celebrated it as  Svatý Mikuláš

The ornaments were usually a small character.   The purpose of these ornaments was so that when we moved out on our own and had our own family, we would have enough ornaments to dress the tree.  Yet it was such a waste to keep these ornaments for years and never enjoy them.  Little ones do not understand the concept of keeping a treasure for the future; they wish to enjoy their treasure now.  Therefore, once we had collected quite a few characters, my mother, being the very creative person that she was and continues to be, would create a Christmas scene as part of our holiday decorations.  This scene became a fantasy land for a small child.

Because my sister and I loved this so much, even once we were too old to celebrate St. Nicholas day, the ornament collecting continued to grow and so did the expansion of our little fantasy village.  My mother would embellish with bottle brush trees filled with glitter and tiny ornaments, faux snow, little animals, angel hair, colorful lights and more glitter.

Every year we looked forward to being able to set up this village which extended along the ledge in our basement/family room from one end of the room to the other.   While dad would bring boxes and boxes of Christmas décor down from the attic, mom would be busy making peppermint punch for us to enjoy as we set up all of our exquisite Christmas decorations.

Now you may be curious as to what peppermint punch is.  My mother would warm milk in a saucepan, crush candy canes and melt them into the milk, add a bit of vanilla and serve in a cup with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream with some more crushed candy canes sprinkled on top.  This was the only time of year mom would ever make this tasty treat. What a delicious memory it is and one that I have continued with my children throughout the years.

As we sipped on our punch, we adorned the house with beautiful décor to make Santa and visitors proud.  Our little village came to life as we went along.  Once complete, I would sit for hours in the dark with just the lights of the village and imagine that I was exploring this little wintery town.

I hope you have such fond memories of a tradition within your family.  Perhaps you will enjoy incorporating the peppermint punch recipe into your family tradition.

These are my children from a few years back, Stephen, Adria and Olya.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from my house to yours.

Safe Holiday Travels

The Holidays are in full swing and that means the busiest travel time of the year is upon us. Now many might take the train or take to the skies but most hit the highways. According to AAA an estimated 87.7 Million Americans traveled more than 50 miles over the holidays last year and 85% of those people drove.

We all know that driving can be stress full enough but when you mix in ice, snow, stress and screaming children who just want to open those presents you have sitting in back of the car things can be even more challenging. Thankfully our friends at the Better Business Bureau and Comparison Market have a few tips to keep you safe on the road this Holiday Season.

-The last thing we want is to break down on the way to grandmas but if you do you need to be prepared. Make sure to keep a Car Safety Kit with you. It should include a blanket, flashlight, batteries, radio, first aid kit, jumper cables, gloves, water, and non perishable snacks such as granola bars. This may seem like a lot but if it’s late at night and you have no way of getting help till someone passes by you need to be ready to wait.

-Keep off you phone but keep it charged! We all know talking or texting on the phone while driving is a bad idea and when you add that to ice and snow things only get worse. However make sure to keep your phone charged and accessible just incase there is an emergency. Nothing is worse than breaking down and then discovering you can’t call for help.

-Check the road conditions before you leave. Now were not just talking about what the roads look like at the moment you leave. Turn on the weather and see what things are going to look like on your way home and plan accordingly. Do you really want to get stuck at you in-laws all night?

-Make sure you have your current proof of insurance with you. It’s always a bad time when you get into an accident but it only gets worse if you forget that updated insurance card on the kitchen counter.

-Winterize your Car. Make sure the oil is changed and the tires are properly inflated. Check the condition of your wiper blades and test out your heater and defroster. Make sure all fluids are topped off and that your breaks are in good solid condition. If you have family coming from out of state especially a warm climate like Florida make sure their car is also ready for the colder conditions and have them take it to a mechanic to do so. Remember many fluids and other car parts sold and used in strictly warm weather climates won’t stand up to the cold of a Chicago winter. It’s very hard to see when that windshield wiper fluid is frozen solid.

-Its common sense but wear your seat belt. It can easily save your life in an accident and in most states it’s also the law.

-Along with wearing those seatbelts make sure your children are properly seated. Obviously infants and toddlers need to be in a child safety seat but did you know that children under 4”9” need to be in a booster seat as well.

-Take your time and slow down. We all want to get to get to that wonderful food as soon as possible but the days before and after Christmas and New years have the heaviest and most dangerous holiday traffic. There is no reason to be in an extra rush if you’re afraid of being late to the party try to leave earlier than you normally would.

-Finally never ever drink and drive!!! We all know that alcohol is a common part of the holiday festivities, and there is nothing wrong with that but please don’t drink and drive. Make arrangements to stay where you are or have a designated driver. Remember that taxi’s are also readily available to get you home safely if you can’t stay where you are at.

We hope these tips help to keep you safe over this holiday season and as always if you have any questions regarding your insurance coverage please visit us at http://www.marsinsurance.com/.

Happy Holidays!!!

Stay Safe During the Holidays

With the Holidays just around the corner and the decorations about to go up remember December is prime time for home fires. Here are some old and new suggestions for a safe holiday season from our friends at Standard Mutual.

-Look for the fire-resistant label on artificial trees and decorations.

-Buy a natural tree that is really fresh. It should have needles that are hard to pull off.

-For outside decorations, buy only those made specifically for outdoors. Use heavy-duty extension cords and plug them into circuits that have a good ground fault interrupter.

-Get a remote control to easily turn off lights before you go to bed or it rains or snows.

-Avoid fires by staying in the kitchen when cooking on the stove top.

-Put heat resistant candles in places where they can’t burn something or get knocked down.Before lighting a fireplace or wood stove, clear the area of tree boughs, paper and other combustibles. Never burn gift wrappings in a fireplace.

-Put indoor and outdoor lights on a timer.

-If cold weather makes you want to use an indoor heater of any kind make sure it is positioned well away from curtains, trees and decorations.

We hope these tips help to keep you safe during this upcoming holiday season and if you may be wondering if your current insurance policy will cover you in the event that you have a small holiday fire in the home this year or if you have any other insurance questions please visit us at http://www.marsinsurance.com/.