The holiday season is a truly magical time of year filled with exciting surprises and cherished traditions. While some holiday knowledge, like how to save on gifts and decorate in a snap, is essential for a stress free holiday season, other holiday knowledge takes the form of fun facts. Here are five facts about the holidays that you probably didn’t know, which you can use to break the ice at your next coffee date or holiday party.

The symbols on the dreidel tell a story A dreidel is used for a fun game that is traditionally played during the Hanukkah season. The dreidel is spun by one player at a time, and whichever letter is facing up when it stops spinning determines the outcome of that turn. If you’ve played dreidel before, you probably know what each letter means in terms of winning or losing money, pieces of candy, or whatever you are using to bet with, but you may not know that the letters also refer to a story. “In Hebrew, the letters form the initials of the message, ‘A great miracle happened there’ (referring Hanukkah’s everlasting oil),” according to Claire Suddath from Time.com. New Year’s is a very old holiday Holidays change over time as cultures merge with one another and evolve, but New Year’s celebrations go way back into human history. “The earliest known New Year celebrations were in Mesopotamia and date back to 2000 B.C.,” according to CNN. “The early Romans used March 1 as New Year’s Day. Other cultures used the autumn equinox or the winter solstice to mark the new year.” There is a spectacular Hanukkah menorah tradition that began in Israel If you’ve lit Hanukkah candles either at your own home or at the home of a friend, then you know how spectacular the small flames can be, but in Israel, they take lighting the menorah to a whole new level. “Jews around the world light Hanukkah menorahs during Hanukkah, but in Israel the festival’s flame takes an interesting path,” states Randy James from Time.com. “Embracing a custom long associated with the Olympics, runners race a burning torch from the Israeli city of Modiin to Jerusalem, a distance of about 20 miles (32 km), where the chief rabbi lights a giant menorah at the Western Wall.” The Christmas Story movie is more accurate than you may think Most holiday movies are so fun because they exaggerate the zany and fantastical things that make the holidays such a unique time of year. You probably realize that your snowman won’t come to life and you aren’t likely to bump into Buddy the Elf in New York City, but don’t dismiss all holiday movies as fiction so quickly. One of the most famous scenes of the classic holiday movie The Christmas Story is when one of characters gets his tongue stuck on a metal pole outside. So you may wonder, can that actually happen? “Mythbusters tested whether it was possible to get your tongue truly stuck on a piece of cold metal. Guess what? It is. So don’t triple dog dare your best friend to try it,” states Stacy Conradt from mentalfloss.com. Christmas used to be banned in Boston There is a seldom remembered 22 years in Boston’s history where celebrating Christmas wasn’t allowed, and even saying “Merry Christmas” could incur a fine. “On May 11, 1659, Puritanical theocrats brought the hammer down on Christmas celebrations, enacting a political ban on the holiday and charging fines to Christmas sympathizers,” states Erik van Rheenen from mentalfloss.com. Puritans sought the political ban to cut down on the rowdiness experienced during the holiday season, which could at times even turn violent. In 1681, the ban was lifted but Christmas celebrations didn’t become popular again until the mid 1800s. Whatever you choose to celebrate, enjoy it.

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The kids are off from school and you can’t drive into work – it’s a snow day for all! But don’t spend it lounging on the couch. A snowy day means you can take advantage of a whole new host of opportunities – from fun activities to being productive. In fact, a snow day can sometimes be a blessing in disguise.

So what are you waiting for? Try one of these activities the next time inclement weather keeps you home. Create snow artSure you can build a snowman and make snow angels, but why not do something you’ve never done before? This activity is especially kid friendly. Try this: Fill empty spray bottles with food coloring and water, allowing the kids to use snow as their canvas. “Adding color to the snow is so much fun and really allows them the chance to be creative and do something different than the typical outdoor, snowy activities,” says Deanna Garretson, a blogger at www.domestic-chicky.com. They’ll have so much fun doing it, and you’ll love being able to keep the messes outside.

Put your chef’s hat onWhat is it about baking or cooking on a wintry day? If it’s too cold for your taste outside and you’d rather stay in and do something cozy, peruse a cookbook or search online for a tasty recipe (one, of course, that you have all the ingredients for in the house to avoid a trek through the snow). “Oreo snowballs are the perfect treat to make with stir-crazy snowbound kiddos because there is no baking involved,” says Carrie Higgins, a blogger at www.makinglemonadeblog.com. “They’re also great for partnering with hot chocolate after a morning spent sledding.” No matter what you make, whether it’s cookies or brownies or even a pot of homemade soup, the warm, fresh aromas will fill the house, keeping smiles on everyone’s faces. Play catch upIt may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but a day off is still a day off, and if you typically don’t have the time to clean the garage, wash the floors, and do a load of laundry, you may want to take advantage of the time off. This is also a good time to teach the kids, if you haven’t already, about the importance of helping out around the house. “When kids do chores, they’re learning responsibility. They’re learning that life requires work,” says James Sears, MD, co-author of “Father’s First Steps: 25 Things Every Dad Should Know.” Other productive things you can do are make all those phone calls you keep putting off, write those thank-you cards from your kid’s birthday you’ve been meaning to finish, do some meal prep, etc. Get your game onWhile kids these days would rather play on an iPad or iPhone, a snow day is a great time to break out the old-school board games. The kids will love the chance to spend quality time with their parents, and have some good old-fashioned fun while they’re at it. Classics like Monopoly, Life, and Risk will take up a good chunk of your day, so make sure you have snacks handy during the game. Take it up a notch and build a fort with blankets and pillows to play the games in. No board games handy? Having story time by the fireplace (or in the fort!) can also be a fun activity. RedecorateSet the kids on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a movie, and get to work on changing up your living room curtains or rearranging your dining room place settings. You could even take this time off to Feng Shui your home, which involves specific placement and positioning of objects in your home to determine a sense of how the energy in your environment affects you. You might be surprised at how productive performing a few simple swaps in your home can make you feel.

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During the month of December, Maritime Chevy will be participating in the Toys for Tots program. With the help of our staff along with the Fairfield community, we are hoping to fill an entire Silverado with toys. Stop by with an unwrapped gift and help make a kids Christmas. “We are very thankful for every donation received. Last year’s toy drive was extremely successful and we look forward to filling up a truck every year, says President Eric Sandstrom. The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens. The objective is to help less fortunate children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign.

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Congratulations to Juan Perez and Jay Burrows on receiving the 2018 Employee of the Year Awards at Maritime Chevrolet of Fairfield. This is an award given to team members who contributed the most to the dealership during the course of the year. Juan Perez is a Parts Consultant who is also known at Maritime Chevy as the “Jack of all Trades”. Juan has assisted in all areas at the dealership from taking care of technicians and clients at the parts counter to managing the dealership’s accessory inventory. His consistency and dedication is what makes his presence so known at Maritime. Juan is universally respected and well thought of by all of his coworkers and customers. In his spare time, Juan enjoys spending time with his family and rooting for his beloved New York Yankees. Jay Burrows is a Service Consultant who is most known for his punctuality and dependability. He is consistently giving 100% to his customers on each and every one of their visits. “Jay greets every customer with a smile when they walk through the door. Every manager should have an employee like him,” says Service Manager Ralph Cascella. Maritime Chevy is more than appreciative for all of the hard work and dedication that each employee contributes. 2018 was a amazing year and the management staff is excited to see what 2019 will hold.

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“We would like to take this opportunity to let our amazing staff and our loyal clients know how thankful we are to have them. We realize that we could never do this without your continued support and we couldn’t be more grateful. We are looking forward to the New Year and we are wishing you and your family all the best during this holiday season”. -Eric Sandstrom Co-Owner/Operator

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Maritime Chevrolet is a proud sponsor and local collection location for the Toys for Tots program. With the help of our Maritime Chevy staff, along with the Fairfield community, we hope to collect a ton of toys for this year’s donation. Please consider donating a new, unwrapped toy for a boy, girl, or pet this season. Donation boxes are conveniently located in our sales and service departments, so bring your donations with you during your next service or sales visit. Even if you aren’t due for service, stop in and say hello with your donation. We appreciate your generosity through the years and we hope to continue to make this a success.

The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens. Help play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children. Let’s work together to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign.

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There is nothing better than getting together with friends and family during the holidays. Yes, the guys usually gather to talk sports and the women meet in the kitchen to talk about holiday recipes, but a good holiday party can be the perfect way to bring everyone together for some good old-fashion family fun! They key to picking a great game is to find one that everyone can take part in and that is based around the theme of your party. The best part is, it doesn’t have to be complicated! For example, if you’re having an ugly sweater party, Ugly Sweater Bingo would be a great game. Below you will find a couple game ideas to get your party started right!

Christmas Carol PictionaryWrite down this list of Christmas carols on separate flash cards. Divide players into teams. One person draws from the pile of cards and has one minute to illustrate the Christmas carol. If their team guesses correctly, they get one point. Make sure to alternate the team artist. Teams take turns until one reaches twenty points.

Stuff-In-The-StockingFirst, you need a host to put random items in a stocking. Once it’s stuffed, tie a ribbon or string around the top of the stocking so that no one can peek. Sit in a circle and pass it around to let everyone feel what’s inside. Give them note cards so that they can write down their guesses. The person who guesses the most correct items wins.

A Very Merry StoryEveryone stands in a circle as one person begins a made up holiday story with one sentence. Each person after them must recite what the previous player(s) said and add their own sentence. If someone forgets a detail while recalling the whole story, they’re out. The story keeps building until only one person can recall all of the details and wins the game.

Wrap It UpIt’s time for participants to pair off. Tie one person’s right hand to their teammate’s left hand. The duos will then attempt to wrap a gift using their free hands. Have an example gift for everyone to attempt to duplicate – the harder it is to create, the funnier. Give a time limit of 1-3 minutes and then have a judge pick the most accurate gift.

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During the holiday season, we will be donating a portion of every new vehicle sold to the MADD (Mother’s Against Drunkn Drivers) Organization. If you are in the market for vehicle this holiday season, purchase with Maritime Chevy and support this wonderful organization with us. Also, we will be giving away MADD ribbons and magnets to help spread awareness and safety, so stop by and get yours!

The holidays can be a particularly hazardous time to drive. Here are a few tips to help keep you and your family safe from drunk drivers.

1. Maintain a generous following distance between you and the car ahead of you.

2. Use extra caution at intersections and look both ways even if you have a green light.

3. Avoid driving late at night; that’s when the majority of drunk driving accidents occur.

4. Be a designated driver for your friends and family.

5. Buckle up! There is only so much you can do to avoid an impaired driver on the road and wearing a seatbelt is proven to reduce the likelihood of a crash being fatal.

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Meet Product Specialist Warren Greatsinger. Warren has been at Maritime Chevy for 7 years, and has been lucky enough to have helped over 800 local families and businesses with their vehicle purchases. Warren’s focus on customer service and his love of electric vehicles is what makes him our employee spotlight of the month. Congrats Warren!

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Maritime Chevrolet is proud to be a sponsor of the Run for Home & Workboot Challenge. The Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County held its yearly 5K Run event on October 6, 2018 at Seaside Park in Bridgeport. This fun-filled family event included a live entertainment, a free kiddie construction apprentice Dash Fun Run, sponsor booths set up with giveaways and free massages, free food and drinks, and a post-race celebration performance from music duo The Sulls. If you were there, you may have even spotted the Maritime Chevrolet Silverado pace truck driving by.All proceeds from the run will go towards building communities and improving lives by eliminating sub-standard housing and creating affordable homeownership possibilities for families in Fairfield County. Since 1985, Habitat CFC has built over 215 homes helping over 1,000 family members in Fairfield County. Habitat CFC is a local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. See below for more information on the Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield Countyhttps://www.habitatcfc.org

https://www.habitatcfc.org/RunforHome

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