Door-buster shopping. Visiting family. Getting kids to sleep before Santa comes.
There are plenty of events that require keen survival skills during the holiday season, and some of them require more than just patience and longsuffering to overcome. With everything else going on this time of year, it is easy to forget some of the basic safety and preparedness skills. Here are a few to keep in mind whether you trim the tree, light the menorah or participate in any other holiday festivities:
- Real Christmas trees are a real hazard. It looks and smells great now, but it doesn’t take much to make it a severe fire safety issue. We suggest artificial, fire-resistant trees for your holiday traditions.
- Before hanging up and plugging in your lights, be sure to double-check them for damage. Bad lights can make sparks fly—yet another fire hazard.
- Turn off your lights when you go to bed or leave the house. To prevent forgetfulness, it’s best to buy a light timer or two.
- Keep burning candles in sight and always extinguish them before leaving or going to bed.
- Always keep a fire extinguisher handy, especially when using live trees, candles and other more hazardous decorations.
And with the holidays comes winter weather. Here are a few survival tips:
- Pay attention to the weather forecast. That local news guy isn’t forecasting as a hobby. It’s to help YOU be ready!
- Ice melt and sand. Keep these on hand if you live in a snowy place to clear walkways and driveways and to help give your vehicle traction.
- Dress for the weather, even on quick trips to the store. If anything were to happen, you wouldn’t want to be waiting for help in PJ’s and flip-flops.
- Keep medical supplies at the ready and know your winter weather first aid (frost bite, hypothermia, etc).
- When storms hit… just stay inside. If you absolutely must drive, take precautions, drive safely and carry supplies (blanket, first aid kit, water and snacks).
There are many more things to consider, but most importantly, be aware and be more than prepared!