Archives for Christmas

Merry Christmas Y'all!

‘Twas the week before Christmas, and Texas, thank God,
Had made it through hail and wind and flood.
Our claims were all settled and roofs well-repaired
And insureds were thrilled that their agents were there.

With Vacant and Renters and Homes of all types,
Clients knew they had coverage wherever they abide.
Coverage for pets and mold and foundations
Gave even more reason for their joyful celebrations.

From Muleshoe and Alpine, to Freer and Llano,
In Waco and Midland, to Boerne and Conroe,
From North to South to East to West,
There is no doubt our agents are best.

So we work to provide service that is second to none,
With clear communications mixed with some fun,
And we gladly exclaim as Christmas draws near,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a great year!”

270 years after the birth of Christ, Christianity had spread throughout the Roman Empire. Part of that expansion included Lycia, on the Mediterranean coast of what is now Turkey.

A wealthy couple in the town had one son, Nicholas. He grew up devout, and after his parents died, was raised by his uncle, the local Bishop. As a young man he went on pilgrimage to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Shortly after he returned he was named Bishop of the region, and in 325 AD, he was one of a small group of Bishops who attended the First Council of Nicaea at the request of Emperor Constantine. Those bishops developed the Nicene Creed at that meeting, a statement of faith that is still used worldwide to this day.

Nicholas gained a reputation for helping others. The two most famous stories about that include one where in the middle of a severe famine he arranged to distribute desperately needed food to the entire community. In the other he changed three local girls’ lives by secretly arranging to provide the money for their dowries so they could marry and avoid being sold.

He died on December 6, and that day was commemorated for over a thousand years.

In medieval times nuns used that night to deposit baskets of food and clothes anonymously at the doorsteps of the needy. By the 1500s it was a common practice in Holland for children to put out their shoes on the 5th, to discover gifts that St. Nicholas had left for them on the morning of the 6th. Dutch immigrants brought the gift-giving ways of St. Nicholas, also known by his nickname Sinterklaas, to America in the 1700s.

Here St. Nicholas went through many transformations. Eventually Sinterklaas became Santa Claus, and the gift-giving tradition was merged into the Christmas holiday. His place in our holiday and our minds was cemented by the 1820 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas“, better known now by it’s beginning line: “Twas the Night before Christmas“.

We won’t all be remembered for millennia for the actions we take in this life. Even if he’d never been remembered by strangers, Nicholas did make life-changing differences to those around him. At Christmas, and as we plan for the new year, that’s a good thing to remember.

We too can change lives of those around us, one at a time. The opportunities are there.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

 

Click on the image to see your Christmas Card from iMGA.

iMGA 2013 Christmas Card

The whole gang at iMGA is in the Christmas spirit. So much so that we’ve been doing some dancing around the office.

Don’t believe us? Here’s the video:

And if you missed the one with the ladies, here’s that one.

The whole gang at iMGA is in the Christmas spirit. So much so that we’ve been doing some dancing around the office.

Don’t believe us? Here’s the video (ladies first, of course – more to come soon):

 

This is just a little something from all of us to all of you wishing you good smiles and great joy this Christmas.

We take the message of giving to to others at Christmas seriously, which is why we donated funds to the Elizabeth Lausmann Jacobs Memorial Endowment Fund at LiveStrong.org to help fight cancer. We’re also making a donation to the Southeastern Guide Dogs organization’s Paws for Patriots, helping provide guide dogs for visually impaired veterans.

We definitely don’t take ourselves seriously, though, as you can see in the video below.

Merry Christmas from your friends at iMGA – Rob, James, Debra, Mike and Tony

 

iMGA Animated Christmas Card 2011 from James Dickey on Vimeo.

Photo of GC the Longhorn - part of the iMGA Texas Heritage Collection

Our agents and partners have helped make this a very Merry Christmas and a great first year for the entire iMGA team. We look forward to making things even better together next year.

In lieu of spending money on printed cards and postage, we elected to donate $500 to Safe Place in Austin.  Safe Place provides safety for individuals and families affected by sexual and domestic violence so they can move beyond being defined by the crimes committed against them.  Safe Place also promotes safe and healthy relationships for the prevention of sexual and domestic violence, and works with others to create change in attitudes, behaviors and policies that perpetuate acceptance of, and impact our understanding and responses to, sexual and domestic violence.

If you are interested in learning more about Safe Place, visit the Safe Place web site.

May you and your loved ones have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

The iMGA Team

From left to right – Rob Reinarz, Debra Jackson, Tony McBride, James Dickey and Mike Gibbs

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