🎵 It’s the most wonderful dangerous time, of the year… 🎶

It’s enough to make one think the reindeers’ names should be Crasher, Lancer, Banter, Fixin’…

We all have our favorite holiday movies (including some that are up for debate as such), from black-and-white classics to funny family favorites. Aside from our collective love for a good seasonal story, what do so many of these movies have in common? 

Main characters who wish they had protected themselves, their property and their belongings ahead of time. And we guess – the holiday spirit? (Wink, wink)

Take Elf, for example – perhaps Santa should re-assess the North Pole’s group medical and dental policies? Buddy’s sugar-filled diet of candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup could cost the company a pretty penny. (Not to mention that night he spent in the clink…)

In National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, let’s hope “Sparky” (a.k.a. Clark W. Griswold) and his family have extensive personal lines coverage. The Griswolds need:

• An auto policy for damage to the family station wagon during the drive to find a tree:

   

• Homeowners’ insurance to help repair the attic floor Clark fell through:

   

• Pet insurance for Aunt Edna’s cat, whom she wrapped up as a gift:

   

• And Recreational Vehicle coverage for Cousin Eddie’s “tenement on wheels.”

   

Who else needs strong homeowners’ coverage? The McCallisters. With Kevin Home Alone battling the Wet Bandits, it’s going to take top notch personal liability coverage on their homeowners’ policy to account for the nail in Marv’s foot and the paint cans the pair took to the face. 

In Polar Express, a valuable articles policy would be helpful for the boy who lost the precious silver sleigh bell from Santa because of a hole in his pocket. Homeowners’ insurance limits per-item coverage for finer items, making a separate policy a “must” for priceless items like the first gift of Christmas.

Finally, there’s Die Hard, with an action-packed corporate Christmas party like no other. The owners of Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles will be filing commercial insurance claims for months – from property insurance to liability, to workers’ compensation and other casualty claims – following the explosion at the famous high rise. Let’s also hope the NYPD offers a good medical plan, including a strong Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for John McClane.

The lesson from these movies – aside from “the good guy always wins” – make sure you’re prepared for anything that can come your way. At home or at work.

(And as Bruce Willis, or John McClane, would say, “Thanks for the advice.”)