Let It Be Said...

Merry Christmas!
Happy Hanukah!
Yule Greetings!
Happy Ramadan!

There are many festivals and celebrations on or near the December 25th date. Some of the closest include the traditional cultural or religious holidays of Yule, Hannukah, and Ramadan, and the modern holidays of Kwanzaa and HumanLight.

Being from a Christian background I use the traditional greeting for my culture, Merry Christmas! However, apart from the religious context when I wish you a Merry Christmas I am also wishing you all of the best things in life; peace, happiness, hope, love and success.

I am expressing my gratitude for your friendship over the years and for your loyalty to our business. I am telling you how much I appreciate you and how I hope that we can remain friends through the coming years.

If this is the first time we have met I am saying that I wish you peace and joy, that I hope we can share our small world with tolerance and understanding.

Over the years at Freedom Automotive, through our community involvement, through the Rotary club and other business organizations, my wife Janice and I have been privileged to know and share with so many wonderful people. For that when we say Merry Christmas we are saying, "Thank You!"

So once again, from myself, my wife Janice, Jim, Cathy, Bill and all the staff at Freedom Automotive and the Car Counselor Show………MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's That Time...

Over the river and through the woods it's off to grandma's house we go. It is that time of year again where a lot of us are going to be loading up the cars and driving to see family for this wonderful holiday season.

Let's take a few minutes and see if the "ole car" is ready to carry you and your family on this trip. Two of the biggest reasons for break downs are tires and cooling systems (radiator) failures and these are easily prevented. In the weeks leading up to your excursion get into the shop and let your trusted mechanic look the car over for a trip. Your mechanic will be able to check the tires, suspension, brakes, belts, hoses and a whole lot of other things in short order to let you know if everything is ok.

Now, even after a trip to the garage, a car is a mechanical device and as we all know, they are prone to breaking at the most inopportune times, so let's follow the Boy Scout Motto and "Be Prepared".

Here are a few items that should be in your car all the time:

1. Spare tire if the car came with one.
2. Jack and lug wrench. Make sure you know the location of the special socket for your locking lug nuts.
3. First aid kit.
4. Roadside emergency kit. These normally include items such as jumper cables, breakdown triangles, small tools and some even have a small air compressor.

When going on a long trip try to plan for the type of weather you will be driving into. A few suggested items to carry along would be:

1. Non-perishable snacks
2. A couple of gallons of drinking water, both for if the car overheats or you are broke down and need a drink.
3. A couple of large garbage bags. I know why the garbage bags, if you need to change a flat tire you can put it on the ground to protect your clothes and they make good impromptu rain coats.
4. Flash light, you can pick up a hand crank operated flash light from most sporting goods stores that way there is no need to worry about batteries.

These are just some easy to find suggested items, but think about your trip and plan accordingly.

While driving on the Texas Interstate Highways you can flip your driver's license over and they have a roadside assistance phone number you can use to get help with a tow or if you run out of gas. With that said, don't forget your phone charger.

Have a safe and happy holiday so drive carefully and remember being late is better than being dead.