In the spirit of Gertie & Phil!

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow and forecast us 6 more weeks of bad weather? Or will he be shadowless and stay above ground as an indicator that spring is quickly approaching? Every year I wonder how this holiday became so popular. Why do we bring the poor groundhog out of his hole every year so early in the morning? I did a little bit of research and found out that this ritual started in the 18th and 19th century as a Pennsylvannia German culture.

And in this century we still wake that poor groundhog up early in the morning and see if he can predict what the weather will do. Even if you don't believe the groundhog knows what he is talking about in regards to the weather it's still fun to follow along, don't you agree?

Like a Good Neighbor...

As many of you know UFS adopted Neighborhood House many years ago as their primary charity. Once again this year UFS was able to give the SANTA FOR SENIORS PROGRAM and the TOY SHOP well over $10,000 worth of merchandise and gifts. This year over 900 children and more than 1,100 seniors received gifts that would otherwise not have happened. How fortunate and blessed we are to have made such a difference in the lives and Christmases of 2,000 people. This is a herculean effort and Neighborhood House should be proud of what we accomplished together. Unfortunately the need keeps growing and growing. There will be more folks that need help in 2012 and until the economy turns around we need to keep them in mind. No matter what we have or don't have there are always others who need our help. So thank you for helping us take care of our Neighbors at Neighborhood House. Together we can keep making a difference to our adopted family.


~Claire Serafin Wiegand

DOWN WITH THE WHITE PLAGUE HERE COMES STAINLESS!!

You know there's a lot to be said for this time of year. We know it's not the cold weather,or the snow or the oppressive gloom...It's that sudden influx of cash that our government has been holding for us throughout 2011. It's an opportunity to upgrade....upgrade you ask? Absolutely, upgrade your appliances, your furniture or whatever is a source of aggravation in your life, (Ladies,I did not mean it is time to upgrade your man....although at times it's an appealing idea. Unfortunately I suspect they may have the same idea, just as long as we don't have the idea on the same day and time we'll be OK.) No I'm talking about stuff...Like I'm so tired of looking at my WHITE REFRIGERATOR, AND STOVE AND DISHWASHER. Why can't I have STAINLESS? In my heart of hearts I love the look of stainless, the sleek, modern, contemporary shimmer of all that is good and cool. To be truly honest I COVET stainless appliances. Don't I deserve them? Well ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!! Right now Frigidaire is offering a $300 rebate on a 4 piece stainless set including range, dishwasher, refrigerator and microwave. That brings the cost of all three pieces to $1899. I can't waste any time the offer extends until 1/21/12. So who's with me??? DOWN WITH THE WHITE PLAGUE HERE COMES STAINLESS.

~Claire Serafin Wiegand

We Survived Christmas!!!

Congratulations...we survived Christmas!!!! Not only that, we survived 2011 with its lousy economy, unemployment, etc. Our hope is that 2012 sees an improved economy, our young men and women home from overseas, and Peace in our land.

On a personal note, I was once again very lucky this Christmas. I didn't get the rocks in my socks I probably deserved. One of my favorite gifts was a bottle of Titos Vodka. It comes all the way from the Lone Star state, Texas. Unlike its competition from Poland or Russia, Titos is made from yellow corn which is GLUTEN FREE. So for those of us with tummy issues this is a great alternative especially when we're getting ready to celebrate the New Year. The more traditional New Year's beverage is CHAMPAGNE, which can range anywhere from $3.99 a bottle to $140.00 for the very exquisite Dom Perinion. Us regular folks usually select J.Roget at $4.99 a bottle. DECISIONS! DECISIONS!! DECISIONS! Whatever you choose UFS want to thank you for your continued support and wish you all a Fantastic 2012.

~Claire Serafin Wiegand

Christmas Magic

Here at UFS the Christmas magic has filled the stores...Our employees decidedly believe in Santa. They keep asking how GOOD do you have to be? (If only we knew the answer to that, or exactly why they're asking?) Our customers are also full of holiday cheer thanks in part to the wonderful holiday beverage tastings. Did I tell you about the Tequila Rose, a passionate combination of Strawberry cream liquor with a splash of tequila? OMG!!!! That's a Merry Christmas in a bottle. My other favorite is the Original Mother's Old Fashion Apple Pie Liquor, mixed with a little warm apple cider and you'd swear you were eating pie. Yum yum.

If you need any supplies to help you celebrate the holidays we're here stocked and ready. Besides the consumables we have plenty of holiday decor, wrappings, etc. We won't even ask you if you've been good or not...hee hee hee!

UFS Christmas Savings

It's Christmas time! For most children this is probably the best time of the year. There's usually snow in the Midwest coupled with Christmas carols, hot chocolate, marshmallows and a vacation from school.

For adults it means those things plus the opportunity to take advantage of the sales. Here at UFS we love sales and as a result we have been giving 24 Days of Savings this Christmas season. On our website we have been sharing coupons with our customers every 2 days for your shopping delight!

Check back every 2 days from now until Christmas Eve to capitalize on our savings!

What are you thankful for?

Every year around this time I feel like people forget about Thanksgiving and skip right to Christmas shopping. Based on the tradition of this season I want to share what I am thankful for this year. I'm thankful for the obvious: family, friends, good health, etc. But I'm also thankful for much more. I asked the people at UFS what they are thankful for, here are a few responses I got....

Claire, Manager
Yes it's that time of year...Thanksgiving when we celebrate our founding fathers who mastered the art of celebratory eating, the turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and everyone's favorite pumpkin pie. But also we have the opportunity to surround ourselves with the family who mean so much to us. It's Fun. Sometime during our party we all just need to spend a minute and remember our blessing and our great God who has given us so much. As for myself I am thankful for many, many things, my country, the young men and women who sacrifice so I can be free, my family both at home and at UFS, and our wonderful customers who are loyal and supportive. After 30 years we continue to do business on Adams Street and some may say it's a miracle, we say God has truly blessed us. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tina, Customer Service Desk
As you all know the holidays are almost here so let's take a few minutes to slow down, take a deep breath and reflect on what we have to be thankful for! We have so many blessings in our lives: family, friends, jobs, homes and the list goes on and on! I don't know about all of you but I know that I can remember a time when life was a lot simpler and the holidays were centered more on enjoying good company and good food than around gifts and the like. Why don't we all try this year to get back a little bit of those "good old days", try to smile a little more, say "Hi" to the people you meet and instead of buying a gift, make a donation to charity! Not only will you make someone else feel better but you will feel better about yourself too. Know that even the smallest gesture of kindness will come back to you tenfold, after all, isn't that what this season is all about? Try it, I know you'll like it! Have a fabulous holiday season!

So what are you thankful for? Leave a comment and let us know!