When the holiday seasons approach, we look forward to spending time celebrating with friends and loved ones. Our homes will be festively decorated with the anticipation of the joyous times ahead. The holiday decorations used can be exciting and beautiful but also dangerous if improperly used, especially for children. Every year thousands of needless injuries and deaths are caused by decorations and carelessness. A little caution and planning during the seasons can help you avoid needless tragedy.

General Holiday Safety

Holiday Entertaining

Christmas Trees and Decorations

Candle Safety

General Holiday Safety

• Purchase only lights and electrical decorations bearing the name of an independent testing lab, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation and maintenance.
• Use caution with holiday decorations and whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant or non-combustible materials.

• Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.

• Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. Do not overload extension cords.

• Always unplug lights before replacing light bulbs or fuses.

• Don't mount lights in any way that can damage the cord's wire insulation (i.e., using clips, not nails).

• Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.

• Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving the house or going to bed.

• Provide plenty of large, deep ashtrays and check them frequently. Cigarette butts can smolder in the trash and cause a fire, so completely douse cigarette butts with water before discarding, or flush them down the toilet.

• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. When cooking for holiday visitors, remember to keep an eye on the range.

• After a party, always check on, between and under upholstery and cushions and inside trash cans for cigarette butts that may be smoldering.

• Keep matches and lighters up high, out of sight and reach of children (preferably in a locked cabinet). When smokers visit your home, ask them to keep their smoking materials with them so young children do not touch them.

• Test your smoke alarms, and let guests know what your fire escape plan is.

Carefully decorating Christmas trees can help make your holidays safer.

Safety Tips:

• Never use electric lights on a metal tree.

• When decorating Christmas trees, always use safe tree lights. (Some lights are designed only for indoor or outdoor use, but not both.) Larger tree lights should also have some type of reflector rather than a bare bulb and all lights should be listed by a testing laboratory.

• Follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to use tree lights. Any string of lights with worn, frayed or broken cords or loose bulb connections should not be used.

• Always unplug Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to sleep.

• Never use lit candles to decorate a tree, and place them well away from tree branches.

• Try to keep live trees as moist as possible by giving them plenty of water daily. Do not purchase a tree that is dry or dropping needles.

• Choose a sturdy tree stand designed not to tip over.

• When purchasing an artificial tree, be sure it is labeled as fire-retardant.

• Children are fascinated with Christmas trees. Keep a watchful eye on them when around the tree and do not let them play with the wiring or lights.

• Store matches and lighters up high, out of the reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet.

• Make sure the tree is at least three feet (one meter) away from any heat source and try to position it near an outlet so that cords are not running long distances. Do not place the tree where it may block exits.

• Safely dispose of the tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried-out trees are highly flammable and should not be left in a house or garage, or placed against the house.