Let the Festivities Begin…With These Christmas Safety Tips

Ahhh Christmas. The lights, the tree, the garland. It’s all so beautiful and also so…flammable. And, while we’re at it, all of the other fun and festive stuff can expose you and your loved ones to a variety of safety hazards.

Yes, it’s us again. Here to bring everyone back to Earth with some boring safety tips. At least we’re consistent, right?

So, let’s talk about how to avoid a Christmas disaster, shall we?

“These are a few of our favorite things”…that can go wrong:

• Christmas Trees: Real or fake, you need to take good care of your tree. If you love the fresh pine smell of a real tree, make sure you’re watering it often. Whatever lights you use on either type of tree should be inspected ahead of time. A short in a wire can ignite any type of tree in a matter of seconds. Lastly, either type of tree can be a tipping hazard especially if it falls on a person or pet. Make sure your tree is appropriately anchored.
• Outside Lights: Practice ladder safety while installing Christmas lights whether it’s on your house or in trees or bushes. Don’t go showing off to your neighbors by pulling crazy stunts on the ladder. Also, have a spotter.
• Decorations: Make sure breakables and anything that could be a choking hazard are placed safely away from children. The higher up the better.
• Garland and Beads: Make sure any type of garland or beads are secured tightly. Left loose, they can pose a strangulation hazard to both small children and pets.
• Candles: Again, real or fake, candles can pose a fire risk. Check the wires on fake candles before use. Make sure either type of candle is set away from anything flammable and out of reach of children or pets.
• Christmas Goodies: Make sure any baking or cooking does not go unattended. It’s easy to get distracted around the holidays when you have guests over, but you need to keep a watchful eye on cooking food. Left unattended, burnt food can become a fire hazard.
• Festivities: If alcohol will be served at any gatherings, make sure everyone has a designated driver or, better yet, invite them to stay the night. Here’s a “fun” fact for you, if you serve alcohol at your house and allow your guests to drive home, you are putting yourself at risk of a liability claim. Yes, if your guest drives away from your house and causes an accident, you could take partial blame. Yikes. Do yourself and everyone else a favor and have a plan.

Alright, that’s all we’ve got for now. Have we sufficiently put a damper on your Christmas spirit? Although it may seem that way after reading this, what would really ruin your holiday season is if anything we’ve mentioned above actually happened. We only point these things out so that you’ll take precautions and be able to have yourself a merry little Christmas.

From all of us at Pioneer, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Have any questions about what you just read? Please contact your Independent Insurance Agent or email us at socialmedia@psmic.com!