From holiday greeting cards to singing Christmas carols with friends, the holidays are a time to gather together, celebrate with your family, eat food, and attend a ton of parties. However, it’s important to remember that you need to follow a few tips to keep you and your family safe during the holiday season as well.
Tips for Safe Decorating
You probably already know that you should recycle your Christmas tree when the season is over. That’s great, but do you know the tips for safely decorating your tree and home?
Keep Ornaments Away From Children
While there are many more options for ornaments out there today, such as shatterproof ornaments, if you have small children in the house, it’s best to be careful. If you do have delicate, breakable ornaments that you hang on your tree, make sure to hang them high enough that the children can’t reach them. These ornaments can cause cuts and injuries if your child breaks one.
Watch Out for the Holiday Plants
Not only do you need to be careful with the things your children can get into during the holidays, but you also need to watch your pets as well. There are quite a few gorgeous, festive plants out there that are poisonous to your beloved pets. Poinsettias, in particular, are highly toxic, so if you decorate with one this holiday season make sure to keep it high enough that your pet can’t eat it and become sick. The last thing you want is to spend your holiday at the vet with your pet or, worse, spend the holiday without the pet you love.
Holiday Lighting
While everyone loves the joy of seeing their yards lit up with lights during the holiday season, if you’re not having it professionally done, then you need to be super careful. Improperly hung and installed outdoor decorations can become a fire hazard for you and your family. From making sure that the ladder you use to put Santa and his reindeer on the roof to turning off the lights and decorations every night before you head to bed, holiday lighting is amazing, but only if you do it the safe way.
Tips for Cooking Safe Meals
The holidays are as much about eating as they are decorating and opening presents with family and friends. There are dangers in the kitchen as well, so here are some safety tips to help with that.
Keep Small Children Out of the Kitchen
While it may be tempting to let the kids run around underfoot when you’re preparing your holiday meal, it’s truly not a good idea. Children don’t think about the stove being hot or that the pot is full of boiling water. It’s best to keep them out of the kitchen (and your pets as well) when you’re cooking to ensure no accidents happen that can spoil your holiday plans. Keep the little ones outside or playing a game to be on the safe side when cooking for the holidays.
Fry It Safely
Many people today deep fry their turkey instead of baking it in the oven. The oil from a deep fryer is extremely hot and needs to be watched carefully. Statistics show that accidents from deep-frying occur more often during the holiday season, so it’s important to follow all safety rules when using this method.
These are just a few of the safety tips you should follow during the holiday season. From decorating to cooking, following these simple tips will ensure that your holiday is indeed happy and bright.
