Christmas Lights Dangers and Precautions

The stringing of Christmas lights is a beautiful traditional marker that ol' St. Nick is on his way. Due to Christmas light dangers, however, part of the process that should be just as traditional is checking your lights to make sure they are at their operational best each year. By taking a few simple precautions, much of the potential danger Christmas lights can pose can be easily avoided.

Take these precautions

As soon as Christmas lights are unpacked each year, the first thing that should be done to every string is a quick inspection of each cord to make sure that there is no undue wear. Even a small area of exposed electrical wire can become a big problem. Once each string has been inspected for wear, check to make sure that each light is operational. If any bulbs are dead, replace them and make sure that each new bulb is securely screwed into place.

Note these dangers

Many popular strings of Christmas lights with small bulbs can generate a fair amount of heat. While the danger of sparking a tree fire is diminished with small bulbs, it's still a potential hazard. One of the precautionary measures to take is keeping the tree well watered so that it doesn't dry out too quickly.

Make sure that when you plug in your lights, you don't overload the socket. Pay particular attention to how many strings of lights are approved per outlet by the manufacturer. Even artificial trees advertised as flame-retardant can catch fire, as their resistance to heat is worn down over time.

In order to avoid potential strangulation and choking accidents, never leave small children alone with partially strung or boxed Christmas lights. Always take extra precautions when stringing holiday lights. Slips and falls are associated with over-reaching or standing on items not necessarily made for that purpose and lead to a significant number of accidents related to Christmas lights each year.