Holiday Safety for Your Home

I work at a store that sells fabric. The other day I was cutting some for a customer when I asked her what she was going to use it for. She replied that it would be a Christmas tree skirt. I checked the label on the bolt and found the word "flammable" there. I told the customer this, but she wasn't concerned, saying the skirt would actually not be very close to the tree.

But it got me thinking about safety. The holidays are a busy time of the year, and it's very easy to get so caught up in everything you have to do that you don't notice little details - like whether or not what you're buying to use near the fireplace is fire-resistant. I did a little research about holiday safety and found some information that was new to me. It seems like a good time to pass it along.

Christmas tree safety
Trees, of course, come natural - live or just cut - or artificial. If you're using an artificial tree, make sure your tree is fire resistant. If it's metal, don't put electric lights on it; metal conducts electricity.

If your tree is natural but cut (without a root ball) make sure it's fresh. There are two ways you can check for this. You can give the tree a mild shake, or thump the trunk on the ground, and notice how many needles fall off. Many falling needles indicate a dry tree (just like what it will be after the holidays). You can also check the cut for resin, which all evergreens have. If the resin is sticky, the trunk wasn't cut that long ago. If it's dried, the tree will be too, and that could pose fire safety issues for your home; dry trees burn faster and more easily.

Even if your tree is very fresh when you first get it home, it's a good idea to recut the trunk before putting it in water, just as you would do with flowers. Recutting opens up a brand new surface which can absorb water better than the old cut.

Also, make sure you keep the water container filled. The air inside most homes in the winter is very dry, and that container can dry out quickly. The more water you give the tree, the longer it will stay fresh.

Lighting safety
Make sure you get the right kind of lights for your intended use-indoors or outdoors. Before you put them up, check to be sure all the bulbs light. If you find any that don't, it could simply be that they're burned out - or it could mean the wire has shorted out in places, which is definitely a safety issue. If you have replacements, use them, or do some switching around of the bulbs that do work to be sure all you're dealing with are burned-out bulbs.

If you go out, turn your holiday lights off. It's tempting to leave them on so you'll come home to a welcoming holiday display, but if the lights short out while you're gone you could return to something completely different. And turn off the holiday lights when you go to bed, for the same reason.

Decorating safety
Keep sources of heat or electricity, like lit candles or Christmas lights, away from anything that can burn. If you have a fireplace, move all the greenery, stockings, Christmas cards, and other decorations away before you light the fire. Use regular wood in the fireplace, not wrapping paper, ribbon, or other paper; some of these could spark suddenly. And make sure the flue is open before you start the fire.

If you're using the "angel hair" that's made from spun glass, wear gloves and keep it away from your eyes; it can be very irritating (it is glass, after all). There is a non-flammable cotton alternative. And be careful if you use spray "snow;" it can be flammable when dry.

If you have pets or children, try to use decorations that don't break, like shatterproof tree ornaments. Not only will you not have to worry about someone getting cut, but you'll have fewer cleanups.

Above all, don't start a major decorating project when you're tired or in a hurry. You'll be less likely to think about what you're doing, or to notice when you do something that isn't safe.

Final thoughts
These tips can sound very negative - "don't do this, don't do that." But a lot of them are just common sense, and if they don't apply to you-for example, if you don't have a fireplace-you can ignore them.

Safety guidelines can be at best boring and at worst annoying. But they exist for a reason. If you just take a little time to be careful, you'll be able to enjoy the way your home looks - and enjoy your holidays - without worrying about what could go wrong.