Insurance Lessons from Christmas Movies

Dec 23, 2020, 2:06 PM

How many Christmas movies have you seen this season so far? Many are on streaming services or run 24 hours a day on TV channels; you can literally watch Christmas films non-stop until Christmas (and beyond, really; why not a tradition of “It’s A Wonderful Life” for your Christmas in July?). While you’re laughing at Christmas comedies for the millionth time, consider these valuable insurance lessons gift-wrapped inside each one. 

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

You probably won’t have as many people over to your house this year as Clark Griswold had visiting for his Christmas, but hopefully your time in the house and on the road will be less hazardous. Getting trapped in a cold attic is not a great way to spend the holiday.

At the beginning of the movie, Clark and the family are cruising out to the wilderness to find the perfect Christmas tree (even if it doesn’t fit in their house). Somehow, they end up driving underneath a log truck going the same direction, and Clark manages to get the car out of that mess. Did he take a defensive driving course? Probably — and if he had a Hastings Mutual Personal Auto policy, he might be able to use that course as a discount on his policy cost.

We offer other discounts too, like a good student discount and a multi-policy discount if you own home and/or umbrella policies with us too.

Home Alone

Young Kevin McCallister is left behind by his parents for the holidays, and spends his time goofing around then setting elaborate traps to protect his house from a pair of robbers. Silly as it might seem, Kevin has the right idea: make sure your house is protected from anything that can damage it.

We do not recommend in any way using a clothes iron and plastic wrap to protect your house. Instead, try a Hastings Mutual Homeowners policy. It starts with dwelling coverage that applies to many causes of loss or perils.

If Kevin’s parents had a Hastings Mutual Homeowners policy, Kevin and his brothers and sisters would be covered by the policy. And until Kevin was left home alone, his parents probably didn’t need to file any claims for damage to their house. So they could take advantage of our waiver of deductible credit, which provides a $75 deductible credit to the Homeowners policy to a total of $750 for 10 claim-free years.

The Santa Clause 

In this movie, salesman and father Scott Calvin finds himself becoming the new Santa when he finds a red suit and business card belonging to the previous St. Nick. The card reads, “If something should happen to me, put on my suit. The reindeer will know what to do.” 

That’s carefully worded to describe what happens next in the movie: Scott starts growing a beard and putting on weight, and by the following Christmas he’s the jolly old elf. But before that he goes to the North Pole and meets the elves there, who describe the rules of being Santa to him. Without someone to help explain the details, Scott might not have been ready for what happened to him.

You can benefit from a knowledgeable person too, by talking with your local independent insurance agent about the coverage you need. None of our policies will turn you into Santa Claus, but they can do something better: offer you coverage you need for your home, your car, your business, or your farm. 

What’s your favorite Christmas movie, and what have you learned from it (about insurance or anything else)? Let me know in the comments!

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