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The Holiday season is a fun and exciting and hectic time of year. The holiday season also brings a variety of new things in and around the home that may cause some safety concerns. Here are a few tips to help ensure a happy and safe holiday season.

1. Holiday Lighting

  • Keep candles away from all decorations and out of reach of children
  • Inspect all strands of lights for damages before plugging in to the outlet.
  • Don’t mount lights in a way that can damage the cord. To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples–don’t use nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.
  • Before using lights outdoors, make sure they are made for outdoor use.
  • Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.
  • Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.

2. Decorations

  • Use flame resistant materials to decorate with.
  • Avoid using sharp or breakable ornaments on the tree.
  • Place ornaments with small removable parts out of reach of children to avoid choking hazards.
  • Avoid decorations that resemble candy or food, a child could eat them.

3. Holiday Entertaining

  • Unattended cooking is one of the leading causes of home fires, keep an eye on the stove while cooking for holiday visitors.
  • Keep lighters and matches out of reach or even better out of sight of children.
  • Don’t drink and drive and don’t allow your guests to either.
  • Provide non-alcoholic beverages for guest that are driving.

4. Trees

  • When purchasing an artificial tree look for a label that says “fire-resistant”.
  • When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches, and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break.
  • Before putting your real tree up cut about two inches off the bottom, this exposes fresh wood and allows better water absorption.
  • Remember to keep filling the tree stand with water as warm rooms can dry real trees out rapidly.
  • When setting up your tree make sure it is at least 3 feet away from any heat source; fire place, candles, radiators or heat vents.
  • Make sure the tree is not blocking an exit.
  • You can also use thin wires to secure the tree to the ceiling or walls to prevent it from falling.
  • Always turn off the Christmas tree lights before going to bed or leaving home.

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