Big Wins Before Christmas: How We’re Making the Holidays Brighter for Clients!

Hey everyone!

This past week was a busy one—it was the week before the last full week leading up to Christmas, and you know how that goes. It’s the season of rushing around, juggling tasks, and trying to wrap everything up before the holiday. Between personal errands, holiday prep, and work, it felt like every moment was packed.

On the work side of things, this time of year always comes with unique challenges. A lot of adjusters are out of the office or slow to respond because they’re short-staffed during the holidays, which can create delays for our clients. Even small, everyday matters like property damage claims can take longer to resolve. Last year, we ran into issues with repair shops being swamped or falling behind because of staff shortages or the sheer volume of work. Sometimes that would delay repairs by a couple of weeks, which isn’t ideal for anyone.

Despite the hurdles, we’re still working hard to push things forward for our clients. Everyone wants to get their case wrapped up and their check in hand before Christmas—whether it’s for holiday shopping, travel, or just peace of mind heading into the new year. We’ve been doing everything we can to make that happen for as many people as possible. It’s a busy time, but it’s also rewarding to help folks reach resolution during the holidays.

On the personal side, we had a lot going on last week. For starters, we caught the last UFC event of the year. Overall, it was a solid event, though I wouldn’t say it was one of the best I’ve seen. The main highlight was Colby Covington’s fight, which ended up being stopped in the third round due to blood and injury. Unfortunately for Colby, he lost. I used to be a big fan of his back in the days when he was fighting Usman—those were some great matches. But over the last couple of fights, I’ve enjoyed his style a little less; there’s been more wrestling than I prefer in MMA fights. That said, this particular match was intense and gritty, even if it ended earlier than I’d expected. Honestly, there was a bit more blood than I’m comfortable with, so it felt wilder than usual.

Later in the week, we flew up from Peachtree City to visit Noah and his longtime girlfriend for a mini Christmas celebration. She was in the middle of exams and wouldn’t be done until the 20th, so we wanted to see her before she headed home for the holidays. It was a quick trip but a great one. While we were there, Holly and Noah’s girlfriend went to see Wicked in the theater. They said it was fantastic—Holly especially loved the music and set design. Meanwhile, Noah and I stayed back at home, watched some anime, and just hung out. It’s always nice to get one-on-one time with him, even if we’re just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company.

When we got back home on Saturday, we dove right into our family traditions. Sunday morning, we made our annual trip to Krispy Kreme for hot donuts. This is something we do every year right before Christmas, and it’s one of my favorite traditions. There’s just something special about those fresh, warm donuts this time of year. Somehow, we ended up bringing home an extra dozen—half of them were classic chocolate-covered (my personal favorite), and the other half were chocolate-covered with red sprinkles, which one of the kids requested. Needless to say, we’re not running out of donuts anytime soon!

On top of all that, I updated my iPhone last week, and it’s been a bit of an adjustment. The new update has been tough on my phone’s battery life, which is frustrating. To make things even more complicated, our family has been sharing one Apple ID for years, and now we’re finally making the switch to individual accounts with Family Sharing. It’s supposed to make things simpler in the long run, but we’re still figuring out the setup. Hopefully, it’s as easy as they say it will be!

We also started prepping for one of my favorite Christmas traditions—our Christmas Eve bake-off. Every year, we bake a variety of cookies and treats so we have plenty to snack on throughout Christmas Day. It’s probably the only time of year I really enjoy baking. One of the staples we always make is peanut butter blossoms, though it’s been harder and harder to find peanut butter cookie dough in recent years—seems like everyone else has the same idea! We also make puppy chow and some classics like frozen dessert and Lemon Icebox Pie, which are nostalgic recipes from my childhood. The kids are especially partial to the peanut butter blossoms and puppy chow, but I like to mix it up a little. If you have any favorite holiday recipes, I’d love to hear about them. Feel free to send them to info@ShaneSmithLaw.com or share a photo—we’re always looking for new ideas to try!

To top off the week, we took Noah shopping since he couldn’t join us for our usual Black Friday trip to Lenox Mall. First, we hit a local mall near us, and then on Sunday, after our Krispy Kreme run, we headed back to Lenox. The stores were packed, and a lot of items were already picked over, but we managed to find a few good things. It was nice to have that time with him, and it helped wrap up the last of our holiday shopping.

So that’s what last week looked like—lots of rushing around, visiting family, and trying to tie up loose ends before the holidays. I hope you’re all doing well and getting into the holiday spirit. And as always, if you’re in pain, call Shane!

Talk soon, and happy holidays!