Homeowners Insurance and Christmas

Christmas is the most important time of year for many families, children, and Christians around the world.   The great anticipation up to and following Christmas Day doesn’t come without risk.   Many of us decorate Christmas Trees with lights in our home, hang electrical displays, light the fireplace and plenty of cooking. Understanding the risks surrounding this very festive holiday would be the best prevention technique. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are an average of 156,000 fires in the United States during the Christmas season claiming over 600 lives, 2,500 injuries, and almost $1 Billion in property damage.

Watch That Christmas Tree

If you choose to purchase a real Christmas Tree, be especially mindful of the tree.  It is essential to maintain sufficient water in the base to keep the tree and its branches adequately hydrated.  The best practice is not to leave the lights on when unattended, heat from the lights or an electrical spark wouldn’t mix well with dried branches.  When trimming branches, you must be cautious not to snip an electrical wire thereby exposing electrical current.  The tree should be placed in a secure place where it won’t be knocked over and preferably away from any other flammable materials such as drapes or paper products which could be easy to ignite.

Caution with Christmas Lights

Before reusing Christmas Lights from the prior year, you should inspect them by laying them out and plugging them in to see if they work; even if they work, it is important to make sure that each bulb is tightly attached and that the line has no cuts in it; this shouldn’t take more than a few minutes before putting the lights up.  If hanging lights in high places, an extension rod would be safer to help raise the lights up onto existing hooks; if you need to use a ladder, be sure to support the ladder safely before climbing up and try not to lean over away from ladder where you could lose balance.  Another serious issue could be overloading your circuits thereby pulling too much current from an outlet causing excessive heating and possibly a fire.  Always watch out for frayed and damaged wires; lights are very inexpensive to replace, it isn’t worth the risk!

Candles Look Great – Watch Out!

The holidays are ever so inviting with Candles lit in the living room and most definitely on the dining table.  In recent years, we’ve visited restaurants to find candles in a glass which look ever so real but they’re not hot!  Well, you may have guessed that they have LED candles now which come are so much safer than burning candles in your home. If you do choose to light candles in your home, keep a close eye on them at all times. Never leave a lit candle unattended.  Withing a few seconds, a home can catch fire if the candle ignites anything in close proximity.  Lit candles should always be placed on a sturdy surface, perhaps in a large glass or stone ashtray type of container. Keep candles away from Christmas Trees or decorative ornaments.

Holiday Cooking Hazards

When hosting holiday get togethers, it is common for people to spend hours in the kitchen cooking for family and friends.  It is common for children to run in and out of the kitchen around those cooking, this could be a hazard with the presence of knives and hot pans and dishes.  It is best to keep the children away from risk by leaving some tasty treats in a self-serve tray until the family meal is ready to be served.  If anything is spilled by accident, it is best to clean up right away to prevent an unnecessary accident. Quite often, the kitchen is the hang out place during holidays, make sure that your kitchen remains a safe place by minimizing cooking hazards.

A general tip would be to keep the home clutter-free before people come over to enjoy the festivities; this helps minimize a slip and fall injury especially if someone has had a little too much to drink.   A clean and tidy home may help avoid mishaps. It is best to review your Homeowners Insurance every year and make sure you are sufficiently covered for a mishap; it certainly would be best not to worry about insurance at Christmas time.