Between decorating, shopping and hosting guests, it's easy to get wrapped up in the spirit of the holiday season.
As you deck the halls this year, take the time to follow these precautions to avoid dealing with a holiday disaster bigger than getting another knitted sweater from Nana:
Water live trees regularly
Live trees look and smell great but can cause a lot of problems if not maintained properly. To keep your tree from becoming a fire hazard, make sure there's plenty of water in the tree stand throughout the season. If you let your tree dry out, it could quickly ignite from hot lights or a stray spark from your cozy fireplace.
Check all your lights
Whether you’re using them indoor or outdoor, check all of your plug-in lights and decorations for exposed or frayed wires, loose connections, and broken sockets to avoid serious shock or fire.
Be mindful of decor placement
Thoroughly inspect where you place candles before lighting them. Ensure open flames are away from flammable decor or items, or consider using battery-powered candles instead.
Read the directions
Before hanging lights, double check how many strands can be linked together and do not exceed the recommended limit. By doing this, you’ll avoid blowing the fuse, overloading an electrical outlet, and potentially starting a fire.
Think about stocking stuffers
When buying stocking stuffers, consider what you’ll be placing next to the fireplace. Avoid putting combustibles and highly flammable gifts, like hairsprays, body sprays, nail polish, silly string, and ping pong balls in stockings.
Go dark
If you're going to be in a position where you can't actively monitor your lights, like traveling, sleeping or leaving the house for a while, turn your lights off. If you're afraid of seeming like a Scrooge, invest in timers for your lights so you can control when they're on while you're away.
Let Notion work for you
Place a Notion sensor by your smoke alarm so when you're away from home, you'll know right away your smoke alarm is sounding and can take action.
