'Tis The Season to Avoid Holiday Disasters

Recently, perusing Facebook, an acquaintance of mine posted that he had purchased a live Christmas tree from a local distributor.  His two young daughters were excited to get home to display, ‘what they attributed as the perfect tree.’ I for one never owned a live tree, and always wondered what the allure was all about.  That said, my acquaintance drove home and proceeded to setup the tree to be decorated the following day.  Ten minutes home, this family started to hear the branches rustling and out came a plethora of spiders.  Yes… the story gets worse!  They found out that one of the daughters suffers from arachnophobia and wont sleep in the house.  Talk about a holiday blooper! 

So, let’s talk about a serious issue that pertains more to the mitigation industry.   In recent years, live Christmas trees have come under scrutiny because of their perceived potential fire hazard. Are live Christmas trees the fire hazard they have been made out to be? For many, the immediate answer is an emphatic, yes! But, do they have to be?  Making smart choices during the holiday season will prevent disasters.

 Here is a list Must-Do’s to prevent Misfortunes:

Purchase the freshest looking tree available, or cut one yourself, and immediately place the tree in water.  Keep the tree's water container full always, checking the water level daily.

Be extra careful with electricity, all open flames and other heat sources during the holidays.

Check all Christmas tree lights, other electric decorations and electrical appliances with worn electrical cords.

Place the Christmas tree well away from heat registers, space heaters, fire places and wood stoves.

Unplug the tree lights whenever there is no presence in the room.

Following these steps will help prevent tree fires in your home.   Who doesn’t want to enjoy the fragrance and tradition that real trees bring to a holiday celebration. A traditional Christmas begins with a live tree.

I will continue to use my bug free, scent free, less flammable artificial tree.  Happy Holidays!