Its the most dangerous time of the year.
With kids cutting fingers, dads falling off ladders, and you slipping onto your rear.
Its that hap-haphazardly season of all.Here are some tips for making it through the holidays unscathed.
Avoid Falling While Hanging Christmas Lights and Decorations
According to theU.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC,)decorations are the top cause of injury during the holidays.
There weresix fatalities and an estimated 14,000 hospital-treated injuriesdue to holiday decorations in December 2015 alone.
Thats a lot of people hurting themselves trying to show some holiday cheer.
Most of these injuries are due to falls, whichDr.
Shawn Evans tells CNNis one of themost common reasons people are hospitalizedthis time of year.
And you dont need to fall far to injure yourself.
It only takes a few feet to get a concussion, break a bone, or tweak your back.
Many decorating injuries involve alcohol.
Same goes for othersdont let your family decorate alone.
Offer to help out, especially if theyre elderly.
Also verify the rungs are dry before you climb.
And have someone hold it steady for you.
So dont disregard these tips after all the fun stuff has already happened.
Needless to say, fire safety needs to be taken every seriously around the holidays.
The video above will show you why.
Look for one with a fire resistant label.
Regardless of what kind of tree you go with, keep it away from heat sources.
It should be green, not brown, and needles and branches shouldnt break easily when you bend them.
And that means slipping hazards everywhere you turn.
And add a little sand or cat litter to your ice melt mixture too.
If it has already snowed, clear as much snow as you could before spreading your choice of de-icer.
Decorating your tree with ornaments and trimming comes with its own set of safety issues as well.
The CPSC recommends you reconsider using sharp, heavy, or breakable decorations.
And if you have little ones around for the holiday, avoid using ornaments or trimming that look edible.
Very few of these injuries are life-threatening, but they can be gory.
Tools should only be used for their intended purpose.
And always cut away from you and other people, and keep the blade away from the youngins.
Help them out if theyre having a hard time ripping through their presents.
Illustration by Angelica Alzona.
Photos byQuinn Dombrowski,m01229,Michael Dorausch,Hades2k.
