From the Builder

Season’s Greetings!

I sincerely hope that 2010 was a good year for each and every one of you and that this holiday season finds you and your loved ones in good health and prosperity. I also hope that 2011 will be a year of peace, hope and promise to all.

By now, most of us are looking forward to Christmas and the time we will get to spend with our families. We have included some great articles to help you prepare for guests (Homeowner’s Checklist and Household Fire Safety Tips).

And, if you are like most folks who are trying to keep those energy bills down this winter, you will want to read our article on easy fixes that will help you keep those costs down.

We have also included a favorite Christmas story that some of you may have read before. It is called the Christmas Envelope. We hope the story embodies the true meaning of Christmas for you.

Merry Christmas!

Jeff
 

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And the Winner is...

Last month we invited our readers to forward our newsletter to family, friends and colleagues. Our e-newsletter client allows us to track how many times you forward our newsletter (we don’t see the addresses) and we are happy to announce that Dan Hunter had the most forwards!

Keeping with the Spirit of the Holidays, Dan has won a delicious, holiday ham. We appreciate everyone who reads and forwards our newsletter. We will have a different prize each month, so keep the letter moving forward!
 

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Save Money on Utility Bills This Winter

Our summer tans have long since faded, the patio furniture and BBQ grill have been stored and the first winter snowfall has already hit the Treasure Valley. It is safe to say winter has officially arrived and for many so have enormous heating costs.

The television and web are full of great ideas on how to save money on energy costs, but more often than not it takes money to save money. Over the course of building homes for the last 40 years, Hibbard Construction employs building practices to ensure the energy efficiency of our homes.

In 2009, we conducted a survey of our past clients from the last 15 years and inquired about the energy costs of their “Hibbard Home”. We were delighted to learn that our homes are still some of the most energy efficient homes built and that our customer’s energy costs are still well below the average cost of most homeowners with similar sized homes.

For many, making the initial investment on an energy efficient new home or on major home improvement projects to make a home more energy efficient just isn’t in the cards this year.

But, that doesn’t mean you are out of options. There are some simple things you can do to cut your heating costs. Below you will find nine tips on how to save money on energy bills without breaking the bank. Each tip should cost from nothing to very little. With a little ingenuity you can reduce your heating bills this winter.

1. Bundle up! Running around with shorts and a tank top in the middle of winter just doesn’t make much sense. Winter is winter because it is cold, so act like it even if you’re just sitting around the house. Put on a sweater or sweatshirt; wear socks and fuzzy slippers (who isn’t more comfortable in their favorite sweats anyways?). Place a soft, comfy blanket on the couch to cuddle up in while watching TV, reading or chatting with friends. Put throw rugs on hardwood and tile floors to eliminate the shock of the ice-cold surfaces. It doesn’t cost anything to wear warmer clothes inside and by doing so you can keep the temperature inside the house a few degrees cooler and save big.

To read more, click here.
 

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Holiday Household Fire Safety

Each year, hospital emergency rooms treat about 8,100 people for injuries, such as falls, cuts, and shocks related to holiday lights, decorations, and Christmas trees. In addition, Christmas trees are involved in more than 400 fires annually, resulting in 30 deaths, 90 injuries, and an average of more than $17 million in property loss and damage.

Have a safe and happy holiday season by following these safety tips.

Trees
· When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label "Fire Resistant." Although this label does not mean the tree won't catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.

· When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green; needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break. The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.

· When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces and radiators. Because heated rooms dry live trees out rapidly, be sure to keep the stand filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways. 

To read more, click here.
 

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Christmas Envelope

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas-oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it-overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma-the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.

Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them."

Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me.

His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition-one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and
someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

May we all remember the Christmas spirit this year and always.
 

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Clever Christmas Card Display

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Fun and decorative, this is a great way to display your Christmas cards.  Use two-inch wide ribbon with the wire in it.  Tie a bow at one end and use a push pin or tack to affix the bow to the top of the window frame.  Gently pull ribbon taught and using a push pin or tack secure the ribbon to the bottom of the window frame.  As your Christmas Cards arrive, use a straight pin or staple to attach the cards to your ribbon.