The holiday season is a special time of year when we can gather with family and friends, enjoy delicious food, and share in the holiday spirit. However, with fun and festivity comes added safety risks. Avoid holiday hazards by following these home safety tips to protect yourself and your loved ones this holiday season.

Holiday lights
Holiday lights bring a tingly sense of holiday excitement to your home. Nevertheless, they can also pose a severe risk if they're not installed and maintained correctly. If you plan on lighting up the interior or exterior of your home this season, consider the following:
 

• Plug lights into a surge protector to prevent a power overload.
• Never leave lights unattended and unplug them before going to sleep or leaving your property.
• Ensure electrical outlets aren't overloaded with too many lights or extension cords.
• Don't connect extension cords together; use a longer extension cord.
• Inspect cords and plugs frequently for damage and replace them as needed.
• Don't cluster too many lights together, as this creates excessive heat and can melt the cord's coating, exposing live wires.
• Hang outdoor lights with hooks, plastic clips, or insulated tape. Nails, tacks, or staples could damage the cord's insulation, risking electrocution or fire.

Decorations
Who can pass on the opportunity to turn their home into a winter wonderland? Holiday decorating can be fun for all ages, but it’s important to be mindful of the decorations you choose to deck the halls with. Keep these tips in mind:
 

• Select non-combustible, flame-resistant, or flame-retardant decorations.
• Opt for battery-operated candles instead of real whenever possible. If you decorate with open-flame candles, ensure they’re displayed in solid candle holders away from flammable materials like your tree and out of reach from children or pets. Never leave a lit candle unattended.
• Keep railings clear of decor for when you or your guests need to grab them for stability.
• While rooftop decorations seem fun, they can quickly become a safety hazard in inclement weather.
• Fresh holly and mistletoe can be poisonous to people and pets, so keep them well out of reach from small children and furry friends.

Trees
Though a real tree fills your living space with the fragrant scent of fresh winter pine, it also comes with a series of safety precautions that should be followed:
 

• A freshly cut tree will have a higher moisture content, reducing your risk of fire. Most trees dry out roughly two weeks after purchase, at which point it’s time to dispose of them.
• Pick a heavy-duty tree stand to steady your tree upright and keep it from tipping over.
• Water your real tree daily. The base of the tree trunk should always be submerged in water. If the tree’s needles are brown or falling off easily, your tree is likely too dry and can quickly become a fire hazard.
• Place your tree away from any heat sources, such as a fireplace, radiator, space heater, television, or vent, and out of the way from high-traffic areas, such as doorways.
• If you choose an artificial tree over a real tree, choose one that’s fire-retardant.

Fireplaces
There's nothing quite like spending an evening cozied up next to a fire with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Consider these tips before enjoying your picturesque scene from a classic holiday movie:
 

• Have a certified professional technician perform a maintenance check on your fireplace and chimney annually. Both should be clean before you light your first fire of the season.
• If your fireplace is wood-burning, use split hardwood, as it's the safest option for firewood.
• Don't throw gift-wrapping paper or cardboard boxes into your fireplace. These items ignite fast and burn intensely, possibly leading to a flash fire.
• Never leave a lit fireplace unattended, not even if it's smoking out.
• Remove any holiday decorations near the fireplace before turning it on.
• Always have a fireplace screen in front of your fireplace, whether it's gas or wood-burning. A gas fireplace's glass pane can heat to over 200 °C in nearly five minutes and remain hot for hours after being turned off.

These safety tips can help you protect yourself, your loved ones, and your home this holiday season. Still, accidents sometimes happen even to the most prepared and cautious homeowners. That’s why having the right coverage to suit your needs is so important. If you're a current OTIP policyholder, contact us at 1-833-494-0089 to review your existing home insurance policy. If you’re not insured with OTIP and are shopping for home insurance, call us at 1-833-615-9326 to get a quote and receive a $20 gift card of your choice!