Yes, Virginia, you do need renters insurance!

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Adam CecilFormer Staff WriterAdam Cecil is a former staff writer for Policygenius, a digital insurance brokerage trying to make sense of insurance for consumers. He is a podcast producer, writer, and video maker based in Brooklyn, NY.

Published|5 min read

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Reduce the risk of a Christmas disaster

As Santa Claus flew in his sleigh high above the city, he thought about a lot of things. Have I put on too much weight recently? Will Mrs. Claus have hot cocoa ready when I get home? But really, this suit feels much tighter this year. Below him, families and friends were bustling like mice. They were cooking meals, wrapping presents, and drinking presents. But a few down there were also getting into trouble, and as Santa watched them with his X-Ray Naughty or Nice Reading Glasses, he realized that there was only one gift that these urban dwellers really needed this Christmas: renters insurance.

Red Hot Christmas Miracle

Sarah’s apartment was on fire. Metaphorically, of course. Bringing together the in-laws at her and Mark’s apartment for their first Christmas as a married couple seemed like a good idea at the time, but Sarah was having second thoughts. A series of comments from her father, a folk singer and former hippy, infuriated her father-in-law, a Republican strategist, and a heated discussion ensued.

Of course, Sarah was distracted. Mark wasn’t being any help, as per usual, and the argument in the other room just got louder and louder. With the screams of grown men permeating through her skull, Sarah barely realized when her apartment caught on fire. Literally this time. It had already spread through the wall and into her neighbor’s apartment before she could extinguish it. As Sarah and her family looked through their new window, she wondered, How am I going to pay for this?

Before she even finished her thought, Sarah heard a boomed "Ho, Ho, Ho!" behind her. She turned around to find the big man himself: Santa Claus."Looks like you need a renters insurance policy! It will cover all negligent damage to a neighbor’s property."

And before she knew it, Santa Claus was gone, and her family were finally done discussing politics and had moved on to other subjects.

"Sarah, what were you thinking!?" "Why weren’t you paying attention!?" "Does this mean dinner is canceled?"

Sarah sighed. "Only room for one miracle tonight," she thought to herself.

Paging Dr. Claus!

They say that friends are family that you get to choose, and that was the rationale behind Rick’s decision to host a Christmas Eve dinner for his group of friends. Too far from home for easy travel or just bogged down by a heavy work schedule, most of his friends were stuck in the city for the holiday. He barely had enough chairs for his guests, so when Martin brought his new boyfriend, Miles, Rick was less than pleased. He had to build a makeshift chair out of an old cardboard box, a broken broomstick, and fishing line.

It was only a matter of time until the chair collapsed. Rick was just surprised it lasted until dessert was served. Unfortunately for Miles, his dessert was served directly to his face when his wild flailing knocked the bowl of pudding off of the table and onto his prostrate body. Rick almost laughed, until Miles realized his tailbone was bruised and told Rick he wanted him to pay for his medical damages.

That didn’t stop Santa Claus from laughing. "Ho ho ho!" he chuckled. "Sounds like you need a renters insurance policy. It will cover medical damages caused by negligence of the policy owner!"

Rick and Miles stood dumbstruck as Mr. Claus tapped his heels together and disappeared into the radiator valve."I’m sorry about yelling at you," Miles said. "I guess I was just upset I didn’t get to eat your wonderful pudding."

"Don’t worry about it, friend. We’ve got more in the fridge. Let me pull you up a chair.""Hah! No thanks!" And they both laughed.

Santa, Can I Hitch A Ride?

Roberta always hated traveling, and doing it on Christmas Eve only made it worse. Christmas Eve is supposed to be about ham and hot chocolate and eggnog and black and white television specials, she thought to herself, not Amtrak.

The only bright spot in her itinerary was the extended nap she’d get to take on the train. She already had it all planned out. She bought herself an ostrich pillow the other week and loaded her phone with an entire season of Serial. She was going to nap all the way to home and no one was going to stop her.

She immediately regretted the nap, however, when she woke up to find that all of her luggage was gone. A quick investigation with the train conductor revealed that the luggage was not on the train, with the only possibility left being theft. Roberta began to tear up. It wasn’t just her stuff in there - there were presents for her entire family.

Suddenly, Roberta felt a large hand her shoulder. She looked up to find Santa Claus, be-speckled and glowing red, smiling down at her. "It sounds like you need a renters insurance policy. While it can’t get your presents or belongings back, it can reimburse you for their value."

"But how?" Roberta sniffled.

"Ho ho ho! Renters insurance covers all of your belongings from theft, even if you’re traveling! Speaking of traveling, I’ve got to go. Lots of presents to deliver. Next stop, Roberta’s house!"

Roberta watched as Santa’s sleigh took off into the sky, with Rudolph leading the pack. But wait - something caught her eye, and Robert looked closer. That was her luggage in the back of Santa’s sleigh! Santa, you sneaky devil! Roberta thought to herself. What a way to teach me a lesson about renters insurance!


While the conclusions of these stories may seem outlandish, the benefits of renters insurance are very real. Find out more about what renters insurance covers in our guide, and if you’re ready to get a policy, you can get a free quote straight from PolicyGenius.

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Former Staff Writer

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Adam Cecil is a former staff writer for Policygenius, a digital insurance brokerage trying to make sense of insurance for consumers. He is a podcast producer, writer, and video maker based in Brooklyn, NY.

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