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Decorating for the holidays is a fun way for you and your family to prepare for the Christmas season. Hanging ornaments on the tree, stringing lights along your eves and letting little ones help with the holiday decorating are all a wonderful part of the season.
But, Says Christie MacLachlan of Christmastime site http://Christmaslightsanddecorations.com. with all the joy and excitement surrounding Christmas it can be easy to forget that there are some real dangers involved in adorning your home and living with holiday decorations day to day.
According to the US National Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) and the National Protection Agency, it is estimated that nearly 6000 injuries, 33 deaths and 600 fires a year occur as an result of decorating for Christmas. Added to the over 23 000 000 dollars in property damage caused during the holidays, an significant amount of risk is involved in decorating your home for the holidays!
The most common Christmastime injuries come from climbing and reaching, followed closely by electrocution and fires caused by improper handling of Christmas lights. Balancing on furniture such as couches and chairs that arent meant for climbing is the easiest way to get hurt. Its easy to prevent injury while decorating for Christmas, though! MacLachlan sites these simple tips to improving your holiday safety.
Make sure you follow safe practices when working up high. Always use ladders for climbing and dont overextend your reach. Check that your ladder is sturdy and be sure to have someone hold the bottom so that it doesnt slip. For extra safety, you can hire a professional roofer to put up your roof top decorations.
When youre installing your Christmas lights make sure they are undamaged. Frayed strings and exposed wires can cause a serious risk of electrocution both inside and outside. Also, do not ever try to force a plug into a socket you may need to use an extension cord to properly fit your light string to your electricity source.
After decorating pay close attention to everyday safety. Christmas lights and candles are a fire risk, so monitor them closely. Anything that creates heat should be not be put near Christmas trees or any flammable material and should not be left on when you are not there to keep an eye on them. Also make sure that none of your decorations obstruct any high traffic areas. Place decorations away from spots where they are at risk of tripping or injuring someone.
Children are especially susceptible to injury from Christmas decorations. The twinkling lights and unusual shapes are a major attraction to little fingers. Kids are especially at risk for burns and electrocutions - they might not think twice about putting their hands up to flames or playing with wires and electrical sockets.
Be aware of your fragile glass decorations, too. Broken decorations are a choking hazard for children and can cause serious scratches and cuts. The best way to keep little ones safe is to hang all decorations far out of reach! Also, parents should be mindful of poisonous plants such as poinsettia, that can harm children and pets if consumed.
Keep your Christmas decorating safe this year by being aware of the dangers and working to prevent accidents, says MacLachlan. Practice common sense holiday safety throughout your home this season so you and your family can enjoy and happy accident and injury-free Christmas.
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