7 Common Holiday Accidents and How to Avoid Them

House Fires: Christmas Lights

This time of year is filled with pumpkin-scented candles, blazing hearths and cheap Christmas lightsand that makes for a lot of risk.

According to Forbes.com, over 400 Americans lose their lives to holiday-related fires each year, and 1,000 are hospitalized with injuries. Fires during the holiday season cost the country over $900 million in damage.

Do yourself a favor and douse the lights when you go out. Maybe youre competing with neighbors with your elaborate display of blinking Christmas beacons, but hitting the off switch when wont be there to enjoy them will save you money on utilities and prevent a fire.

Be sure to inspect your Christmas lights for frayed wires and loose connections. And make sure you dont use an indoor extension cord for your outdoor spectacle. Those cables are not water proof, and could present a fire hazard in wet climates.

House Fires: Candles

Candles are a great way to add pleasant aromas and ambiance to your home during the holidaysjust take care to keep your eye on them.

Underwriters Laboratories reports that candle-related house fires are a common mishap during the holidays, accounting for 166 deaths, nearly 13,000 injuries and $450 million in direct property damage each year.

Dont leave candles or menorahs burning unattended, and place them on stable, heat-resistant surfaces. Make sure to them away from anything flammableit would definitely best to get them out of the way while your family is unwrapping presents.

Decorating

This common holiday hazard has provided inexhaustible material for comedies. But all those slapstick gags where the protagonist falls off a snowy roof in a particularly mortifying way while hanging lights? Turns out theres some truth to them.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates holiday-related decorating accidents send over 1,200 people to the hospital each year. So exercise the utmost caution when youre decking the halls. Home decorating is a pretty lame answer to the question, How did you injure yourself?

Poisonous Plants Mistletoe, holly berries, and Christmas cacti are all poisonous if swallowed, so keep them away from small children and pets. Poinsettias can make pets seriously sick and cause stomach irritation in humans, so keep them in a safe place.