Avoiding Holiday Mishaps

In the 1989 movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold falls off the roof while putting string lights on his house. And while it's hilarious to watch things go awry for Chevy Chase, there's no humor in making similar errors in real life.

Holiday-Related Accidents

Decorating injuries may sound like fiction, but in 2019, 14,800 people were treated in emergency rooms during the holiday season for accidents like falling off ladders, hurting their backs when lifting boxes of decor and even tripping over chords (like string lights).

That's not the only thing that can go wrong.

Home Fires

One of the biggest causes of holiday woes is house fires. More than 350,000 fires happen in residential buildings annually, causing injury, death and property damage. There are three primary causes of these fires:

Cooking accidents - This accounts for 43% of fires during the holidays. That's why it's important to never leave cooking food unattended, clear the cooking area of flammable items like dish towels and keep a lid nearby to smother any grease fires. In addition, if you intend to fry a turkey or ham, it should be cooked outdoors.

Christmas tree fires - About 200 of these occur annually according to the National Fire Research Laboratory. So, though you may be superstitious about taking your Christmas tree down before January 6th, remember that a dry tree can burn quickly if exposed to faulty wiring, space heaters and fireplaces. So, a good rule is to keep trees three feet away from any heat source.

Candle incidents - The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports that half of home fires in December are caused by candles. That's why it's important to keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that can burn or use battery-operated candles throughout the season.

Toy Safety

While we hate to say it, we also want you to be cautious about the toys you buy for the kids in your life. In 2022, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported nearly 146,000 emergency room injuries associated with toys given to children 12 and younger. Many were caused by small parts that posed a choking risk; however, more than 35,000 were caused by non-motorized scooter accidents.

That's why, to keep children safe, it's important to always follow the age guidance on toy packaging, purchase safety gear for riding toys (like helmets and knee pads), keep small parts away from kids younger than three and discard deflated balloons around children eight and younger.

Just remember, in the movie, Ellen Griswold says, "I don't know what to say, but it's Christmas, and we're all in misery." While that's quite funny for her to say in a movie, you and your family don't want to feel the same way.

But by making sure you are decorating, cooking and shopping in the safest ways possible, you can make the season as bright as their Chicago home (when the lights are actually working).

Back