These awards celebrate and recognize the best our community has to offer. We invite you to vote for your favorites in dozens of categories, including Lallis & Higgins Insurance. If you vote in more than 15 categories, you'll be entered in a sweepstakes to win $1000!

It's easy to do. Simply choose a category, write in who you think is best and fill in your email address. Continue and complete the registration form (You MUST register to vote). Afterwards, you’ll receive a confirmation email which will contain a link that will allow you to auto login each day to vote again if you wish. For businesses with more than one location, please indicate the address of your #1 choice in the town field.

Results will be published in a special section inserted into your newspaper the week of June 24th and will be available online at WickedLocalFavorites.com.

Vote for your local favorites today! Deadline to vote is Sunday, February 17 at 11:59 p.m.

Remember...You must vote in at least 15 categories for your chance to win $1000.

Let the voting begin!

NOTE: Only businesses in certain towns are eligible to win, please click the "Rules" link at the bottom of the page to view the list of towns.

Finally, the first snow of the season! Lallis & Higgins Insurance wants to share with you some of the "best" sledding hills around Boston. Here are sledding spots we think are worth driving to.

Flagstaff Hill—Boston

Situated in Boston Common, near the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and parallel to Charles Street, Flagstaff Hill might be Boston's most iconic sledding spot. The slope is long, even, and wide, so even though it gets crowded, there's ample room for kids to fit in some decent runs. Make a winter-fun day of it and hit Frog Pond rink to take a twirl and warm up with some hot chocolate.

Larz Anderson Park—Brookline

This hilly park is tailor-made for sledding, with lots of real estate—64 acres!—on various sides of the park for staking out a route. Like Flagstaff, the hilly area abuts a public ice rink, so families can get some skating in before or after sledding time.

President's Lawn, Tufts University—Medford

Local families share this hill with Tufts students, who congregate here for sledding (with the school's blessing). Hit the hill in the morning for the least-crowded conditions (co-eds are still sleeping), and be aware that's it's pretty steep, so maybe not the best for tots.

Danehy Park—Cambridge

Stigma aside, you gotta appreciate how much covered-over landfills, like this one at Danehy Park, make for primo sledding. It's one of the highest spots in Cambridge and uber conveniently located near Fresh Pond and its many walking paths.

Millennium Park—West Roxbury

Another landfill, another super sledding spot: This oft-overlooked park bordering West Roxbury (and technically in Boston) is huge, and never too crowded, making it a perfect winter escape.

Seven Bump Hill—Malden

Nestled behind Fellsmere Pond in West Malden, Seven Bumps is one of the most traditional and beloved sledding spots in the area. Your kids can see if they can see the seven bumps that the spots is named after; regardless, there's plenty of hilly terrain to explore.

Arnold Arboretum—Jamaica Pond

The Arboretum graciously allows sledding on its property, and you'll enjoy gorgeous views of the meticulous maintained property while sledding. Peter's Hill is the best spot to be able to enjoy the lovely trees without running into them, as it's the most wide-open slope (and the most popular).

Sugar Bowl—Jamaica Pond

Inverted bowls like this are extra safe for little ones, but add a sledding challenge for bigs—kids try their best to slide down with enough speed to coast a decent way up the opposite side.

Needham High School—Needham

The giant, wide hill aside the football field is where students congregate during games; and where kids from three towns in either direction gather when flakes start to fall. Big kids concoct jumps toward the center of the hill; smaller children are better off sticking to the edges of this bustling slope. After, grab donuts and a hot drink at Dunkin's across the street.

Spy Pond Park—Arlington

This big pretty park is best known for its skating pond, but skirt the edges for some nifty sledding runs.

Clay Pit Pond—Belmont

The surrounding park near Belmont High isn't big, but sloping down from Concord Avenue toward the pond is a perfectly pitched sledding hill that those in-the-know flock to at snowfall.

Prospect Hill Park—Waltham

A big trek up pays off with gorgeous views of Waltham, Watertown and the city from the cliff-like hilltop of this park. Runs are long, thrilling, and fulfilling.

Source: mommypoppins.com

Every homeowner needs to take measures to keep their homes safe. Living in Quincy and Weymouth or anywhere on the South Shore means that you will most likely experience severe and harsh winter months.

Let’s look at some steps you can take to keep your homes safe and secure during the winter months.

Make sure your fireplace is clean

When you think of winter, one of the first images you’re likely to think of is being curled up in front of a warm, crackling fire. If you enjoy getting your fireplace roaring when it’s cold and miserable outside, you’re not alone!

Before lighting the first fire of the season, make sure that the hearth is clean and the chimney is free from any obstructions. If the chimney is blocked, it could lead to noxious and harmful fumes filling your home.

Check that your heating system is in order

Central heating is a wonderful thing. The minute you step into your home from the frigid weather outside, you can breathe a sigh of relief: your home is warm and toasty.

During the winter months, a large number of household fires take place. These have been attributed to faulty heating systems. Schedule a check-up with the company that installed your heating system right before it starts to get cold. This will also ensure that your heating system is heating your home properly.

Be careful with the candles

You might be lighting them on festive dinners or in the evening when you’re winding down. Whatever the case is, make sure you handle the candles with care.

This means making sure that no candle is left burning unattended while you’re out or in a different room. Make sure candles are placed at a safe distance away from anything which can catch fire, such as curtains. If you have young children and pets, take extra care to ensure that candles are placed where they cannot be knocked over or reached by them.

Keep the steps and walkway leading up to your home clean

If you’ve been graced with a nice amount of snow or freezing rain, the last thing you want is a slippery walkway. The cold temperatures make matters even worse and often result in your steps and walkway freezing over. The icy surface can lead to many accidents if not taken care of.

Make sure that you keep your walkways and steps clear of all snow. Sprinkle salts over all of these areas to prevent any snow or ice accumulating at these points.

Install a carbon monoxide alarm

Whether you’re lighting your fireplace or using other various forms of heating, a carbon monoxide alarm is very important to have. These alarms monitor the levels of carbon monoxide in your home and are triggered when there is a dangerous amount of carbon monoxide in the air.

Having one of these alarms could potentially save your life.

Insulate exterior water lines

You don’t want your water supply to freeze over, do you? With those horribly cold temperatures, it’s a good idea to get all your exterior piping properly insulated. This will ensure that even when temperatures fall below freezing, you’ll still have warm flowing water.

Get your home properly insulated

Make sure the exterior of your home and your walls and windows are equipped to handle the cold. Get storm windows installed in the event that you’re stuck in the middle of a relentless blizzard.

Weather stripping and insulation should also be installed to ensure that your home remains warm.

Make sure your home is well lit

Winter means shorter days and longer nights. When faced with longer periods of darkness, take care to make sure your home is well lit. Burglars and thieves like to operate under the cover of darkness. Consider installing a few extra lights outside to make your home brighter and less attractive to criminals.

Keep your driveway clean

Make sure you shovel your driveway and scatter salt or sand to keep it from freezing over. This will make it easier for you to walk to and from your home. It will also make accessing your car much easier and can help prevent your garage door from freezing.

Clear the drains

Before winter sets in, make sure that all of the exterior drains are free from any leaves or debris. Otherwise, they will likely freeze over and prevent snow, slush, and freezing rain from adequately draining. If this happens, you stand the risk of too much moisture building up on your roof. Alternatively, if the debris freezes in the drains, the drains could also burst.

Whenever winter rolls around, make sure you and your family are prepared for the colder months ahead. This includes taking all steps necessary to ‘winter-proof’ your home. By doing so, you can eliminate or reduce the risk of having to deal with a number of problems and can have a relatively enjoyable winter.

For more information on home insurance and keeping your home well protected, contact Lallis & Higgins Insurance.

Excite.com

When the U.S. government partially shut down on December 21st, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determined it no longer had the authority to enter into new contracts, including new or renewal NFIP flood insurance policies, during the shutdown period. Real estate closings scheduled during this time that require flood insurance may be affected.  Lallis & Higgins Insurance is here to help bridge that critical gap with private flood insurance options.

How We Can Help

Private flood insurance is a growing alternative to the NFIP that may satisfy lenders’ flood insurance requirements. Our experienced team makes it quick and easy for you to secure flood insurance to meet your lifestyle and your home's needs.

• Secure a quote in as little as one minute
• As few as 12 underwriting questions with no elevation certificate requirement
• Underwritten by Lloyds of London and Scottsdale Insurance

Our goal is to make sure everyone in Massachusetts has access to flood insurance, even during times of political impasse. Lallis & Higgins Insurance can offer other Flood options through Lloyds and Scottsdale that may save homeowners up to 38% off the NFIP rate. If you want to learn more about flood insurance options, contact Lallis & Higgins Insurance.

Our warmest Holiday wishes from the entire team here at Lallis & Higgins Insurance. Calendar year 2018 was, and continues to be, a truly remarkable year and we take this moment to recognize the joy that each and every one of you has brought to our personal and professional lives. We exist because of your faith and trust in us.

As calendar year 2019 approaches, we reflect upon the foundational recognition that "your success is our success". Our New Year’s wish for 2019 is to nurture our positive and ever strengthening partnership and to deliver ever increasing value to you and your family through the entirety of 2019.

Throughout this Holiday season may you be blessed with health and surrounded by friends and family. All the best! Cheers!

Now that we've helped you secure automobile insurance coverage for you or your newly licensed son or daughter, be sure to periodically review with them what to do in the event of an accident. The following words of advice could save you money and legal problems.

Never leave the scene of an accident.

Regardless of how bad the accident is or who is at fault, most state laws require you to stop. If you drive away, you can be charged with a hit-and-run even if you are not at fault. A minor accident is an accident that does not involve any injuries or large scale damage to any vehicles or property. If there are any injuries, if the accident is blocking a lane of traffic and cannot be moved, or if there is significant damage, call the police immediately. Low impact fender-benders or hitting a parked car in a parking lot would be examples of minor accidents.

Assigning Blame.

For any type of accident, neither you nor your teen should ever admit fault or apologize. On the other hand, your teen should never accuse the other driver of being at fault. Immediately after an accident is not the time to play the blame game. The insurance companies can solve that argument. Never sign anything unless it is from a police officer. No one should be bullied by the other driver. What is said and done after a car accident can impact the insurance claim. Sadly, some adult drivers will be aggressive and try to take advantage of a distraught new driver.

Make sure everyone involved is OK.

If so, move the cars off of the road and away from traffic, turn your hazard lights on, and turn the cars off. There could be damage to the engine or your car may be leaking fluid. A car fire would certainly make the situation worse. Then, inspect all cars involved for any damage.

When to file a police report.

Some minor accidents do not cause any visual damage or immediate injury. To a teenager, quickly clearing the matter up and driving away can seem like an easy way out of trouble so the parents do not find out. Your teen needs to be aware of the consequences of not filing a police report. Even if the other driver claims to be OK and refuses emergency treatment, they can always come back months or years later and file a lawsuit claiming damages. If you have a police report, you have the evidence to plead your case. Without the police report, it’s your word against theirs. Unfortunately, it’s easy to side against a new driver. Therefore, we suggest always contacting the police. After getting a police report and deciding to file a claim, contact your insurance company and let them know about the accident and follow their instructions.

In the event your teen decides not to contact police, make sure he gets contact information for the other driver, asks for proof of insurance, and writes down the insurance information. He should also write down the license plate number and a brief description of the car. In the future, this information might be needed. You can never been too cautious, and asking for this information is standard procedure when involved in a car accident.

Accidents happen and you need not worry....we've got your back! For more information, contact Lallis & Higgins Insurance.

A business insurance umbrella policy could protect your business against excess liability judgments for loss, injury, or even death cause by negligent acts. It is designed to provide liability protection over and above the insurance policies you currently have.

Expect the Unexpected

How well protected are you and your business from paying a large liability loss.

Why do you need more insurance?

You may say we have commercial auto and business coverage. That should be sufficient. Why would we need an business umbrella policy? Today, lawsuits are occurring more and more frequently. And, the monetary awards from these lawsuits can be staggering.

Your current insurance will protect your business against misfortune, but it may not give your business the coverage it needs against a catastrophic loss.

How much insurance is enough?

To ensure that you are protected against the unknown, changing your liability policy limits can critical. Most likely you have liability coverage. In the event of an accident, this will give your business protection for both bodily injury and property damage, but only to the limit of your policy. Beyond those limits, you would be expected to pay the excess amount for which your business is liable.

Umbrella insurance policies also give you the additional benefits of covering defense costs and attorneys’ fees associated with claims against your business that are covered by your umbrella policy but not your primary policies. These expenses are paid in addition to your policy limit.

You may also be protected with umbrella insurance for claims that may not be covered by your underlying policies.

For more information, contact Lallis & Higgins Insurance.

Businesses who want to stay in business need to protect themselves, their employees, their vehicles, and their property. This is done with business insurance that can protect you from liability.

One overlooked type of insurance protection is commercial auto insurance. If your small or medium sized business has vehicles, or if you use your own vehicle for business use, you need commercial auto insurance. Regardless of if your business has one car or 100 cars, commercial automobile insurance is the only way to protect your business, car and driver in the case of a loss.

Commercial vehicle insurance does not just protect you in the case of an auto accident. Auto insurance protects you in the event of vandalism, auto theft, or if other’s property is damaged with your commercial vehicle. Regardless, commercial auto insurance needs to protect your business in a minor fender bender to loss of life.

Commercial automobile insurance policies are not cookie cutter. They should all be created to accommodate your business, the amount the vehicles are driven, the driving records of the drivers, the cargo, and what they are used for. With the proper insurance policy, your company will be protected for any type of accident to ensure you aren't paying out of pocket for any type of damage.

However, choosing the policy with the lowest possible price is not always the best decision. Choosing the policy with the most coverage for the price is a better decision. You want a cost-effective policy that will protect your business in the case of a loss.

For more information on commercial auto insurance, contact Lallis & Higgins Insurance.

Whether it’s walking through a neighborhood of Christmas lights or stuffing yourself with holiday snacks, everyone has special traditions and treats that put them in the Christmas mood. Every season Lallis & Higgins Insurance shares some of our favorite activities and things to do. Here are some Massachusetts places and activities that are sure to get you into the holiday spirit.

1. Go ice-skating on the Frog Pond in Boston.

Skating on the frozen Frog Pond in Boston Common is a winter tradition for many Bay Staters. It’s free for skaters under $58 inches and just $6 for skaters over that height. They offer rentals, lockers and ice sharpening. (38 Beacon St., Boston)

2. Get your thrills at this wintery amusement park.

Six Flags New England has transformed into a holiday wonderland. From meeting Christmas characters to riding festive rollercoasters, there's something here for everyone in the family.

3. Visit "the Christmas City" of Massachusetts.

Taunton has earned the official nickname "The Christmas City" due to its spectacular holiday celebrations and light displays. Checking out the festive town green in this community is a must-do every season.

4. Play with the reindeer at Stone Zoo.

The annual ZooLights festival at Stone Zoo in Franklin is an enchanting holiday tradition. With animal enclosures bedecked in holiday lights and garlands, crafts, food and even meet-and-greets with real reindeer, everyone should check this event out.

5. Indulge in a cup of holiday-flavored coffee from Dunks.

Hey, nothing says Christmas like something hot and sweet from Dunkin' Donuts. Slurping down some sort of candycane-cinnamon-chocolate frankendrink is the perfect way to get that festive feeling inside you.

6. Drive through miles of fantastic holiday lights.

Bright Nights at Forest Park in Springfield is one of the largest displays of Christmas lights in New England. Pile into the car and prepare to be dazzled by three miles of glittering scenes. Click here for more information.

7. Splurge on holiday gifts at a festive Christmas market.

Massachusetts is filled with holiday markets and festive craft fairs to inspire you on your hunt for the perfect gift or decor. The Salem Holiday Market is the perfect spot to pick up something handmade and beautiful this season.

8. Stroll through a vintage Christmas village.

The Enchanted Village once dazzled Bay Staters at its original location at Jordan Marsh in Boston during the 1960s. Today, it's been restored and brought back to life at Jordan's Furniture in Avon. Take a stroll through the festive lanes of the village for free this season.

9. Hitch a ride to the North Pole.

Yes, Massachusetts has its very own Polar Express and it's a fantastic way to get in the holiday mood. Grab the kids and ride the Scituate North Pole Express for special time with Santa, milk, cookies and storytelling.

10. Take in the beauty of LaSalette Shrine's Festival of Lights.

LaSalette Shrine's Festival of Lights is a Christmas tradition that is sure warm your heart. It's a good option if you're looking to celebrate the spiritual side of the season, or just surround yourself with holiday beauty. (947 Park Street, Attleboro)

11. Explore a magical indoor Christmas wonderland.

Yankee Candle Village in Deerfield isn't just a purveyor of smelly wax – it's home to a year-round Christmas village that just gets more enchanting each year. Visit the Bavarian Forest, make your own candles, indulge in holiday treats and experience an indoor snow shower.

Only in Your State

Those in Quincy and Weymouth, MA who have tasted deep-fried turkey usually say there’s simply no comparison to an oven-roasted bird — turkey out of the fryer is moist, with crispy skin and a beautiful color.

And, it cooks much more quickly than a turkey in the oven, which means you don’t have to wait for hours on end to get your fix.

But, if you’re not careful, frying a turkey can ruin your Thanksgiving, too. You’ve no doubt seen videos of people accidentally starting fires with their attempts. In some cases, families have even lost their homes.

With a little common sense, though, you can safely enjoy that great taste and fast cooking time. Here are five tips for cooking a great deep-fried turkey — without doing any damage (except maybe to your waistline):

1. Find a safe place to cook.

Don’t ever set up a fryer any closer than 10 feet from your home, garage or any other structure. Make sure the area is flat to keep the fryer from tipping, and never put it on a deck or other flammable surface.

2. Don’t use too much turkey.

You don’t want to drop a 20-pound bird in your fryer; it’s just too big. Keep your turkey to 12 pounds or less, don’t stuff it and make sure it’s completely thawed and dry.

3. Don’t use too much oil, either.

When it comes to the oil, use something with a high smoke point (for example, canola or safflower) and do a test with water beforehand to figure out how much you need. Put the turkey in your fryer and fill with water until it is covered. Then take the turkey out and make a mental note of the water line — that’s how much oil to use. Be sure to dry everything completely after your test.

4. Use caution when it’s time to cook.

Don’t just drop the turkey into the fryer, unless you want to splash hot oil on yourself (bad) or the burner (even worse). Gently lower it into the oil, and then monitor everything as it’s cooking. Keep an eye on the oil temperature to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. Keep an eye on the clock, because you want your turkey to cook for about 3-5 minutes per pound. And, watch kids and pets so they don’t get too close to the fryer.

5. Be prepared for disaster.

If you’re cautious, the odds are you won’t need a fire extinguisher, but you should have one on hand anyway – a multi-purpose model with dry powder. Don’t ever spray water on a fryer fire. If you don’t have an extinguisher, either cover the oil or dump a large amount of baking soda on the blaze. And, if all else fails, call 911 – quickly.

Of course, there’s one way to get a deep-fried turkey that can’t fail: Buy one from a professional. They’re available at some grocery and specialty stores, and even restaurants are getting into the act now.

Whichever you choose, we here at Lallis & Higgins Insurance wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving!