Home Safety Tips During Holiday Christmas Breaks and Celebrations

Do you give enough attention to home safety and security during the Christmas breaks? If you have not pondered on this question, then it may mean that you should start giving it more value during the yuletide season. A great number of people look forward to holiday Christmas celebrations. The preparations for the festivities are done way ahead of time and much detail is put into making the season more special that the previous ones. However, risks exist and they can turn your holiday festivities into a nightmare. Before this happens, I suggest you pause for a bit and consider these important home safety suggestions.

Faulty electrical wiring is one of the top causes of fires at homes and businesses. Make sure you take the time to inspect all electrical devices and equipment to avoid fires and accidents.

Christmas time is synonymous with festive lighting. Don’t be surprised if you find your electric bill shooting up during this holiday Christmas season. Some people really take Christmas lighting seriously. Others take it to extreme heights. But it is important that you keep your family and home safe from any untoward incidences. Home safety can be achieved without sacrificing the festive mood. There are several reminders that you need to follow so that you keep safety and security optimum.

• Use only certified lighting equipment for your Christmas decorations
• Use only outdoor lighting for outdoor decorations
• Consider the electrical load limit of your home – apart from the lights, you need to run other appliances at home
• Switch off your lights – it should not run for 24/7 to save on electric bill and lower your risks
• Test your lights before you install them
• Buy only from reputable sources
• For more complicated electrical wiring, you may need to employ the help of professionals
• Secure cords and cables properly to avoid accidents
• Replace busted lights, exposed wires or other damaged components immediately
• Use appropriately –sized decorations especially if you intend to put them on your roof
• Use the right tools and equipment when installing your Christmas decorations

Christmas lights add a little more zest to the Christmas celebrations. It offers a spectacle for everyone to see. However, it is essential that you keep home safety and security in mind to protect your family, home, property and others.

Not everyone experiences a white Christmas. But those who do usually have fireplaces lit to warm their Christmas nights. This offers a peaceful and sentimental mood to your holiday Christmas celebration. In order to ensure that nothing awry happens, keep these home safety and security tips in check.

• Regularly clean your fireplace so it will work properly
• Make sure all your tools and fireplace thingies are in tip top shape
• If you are using gas for your fireplace, make sure all fittings are working properly
• If you are using wood, make sure they too are stocked properly
• Cleaning your chimney requires some effort so set aside one weekend to clean everything – or you can get a professional to this for you.
• Hanging Christmas stockings on the fireplace is common but make sure they do not combust easily
• Regardless of what type of fireplace you have, it is important to have good ventilation to avoid noxious fumes to build up in your home
• Never throw materials that can give of deadly smoke into your fireplace – e.g. plastic materials
• Have a fire extinguisher at hand just in case
• Never let children play around your fireplace unsupervised

Decorating your fireplace can easily turn it into a focal point of your home this Christmas. With a little tweaking, you can truly make this holiday Christmas season into something memorable. One that is safe and secure. Home security and safety starts with a little common sense.

It is not uncommon to find your family going to one party to another. Sometimes in a week, you are invited to several engagements whether they are relatives, co-workers or friends. Being away from your home during the holiday Christmas season is normal. This is why the risk of home invasion is higher. Christmas time is the season of giving. You just do not want to give your belongings to burglars.

Here are some home security and safety strategies you may consider doing:

• Install CCTV cameras for additional security
• Motion activated lights help protect your home
• Consider putting lights in places of potential entry
• Make sure your locks are working properly
• Add a few more locks to your doors
• Secure windows so they won’t be easily broken or opened
• Ask a trusted neighbor to occasionally check on your house if you will go away for long periods
• You may want to ask whoever delivers your paper to stop delivering during times when you need to go away for extended period. A pile of newspapers in front of your door is a sure sign no one is there. That is a magnet for thieves and burglars
• When leaving your home for a long time, it is prudent to switch off your gas valve and unplug non-essential electrical equipment.
• Having a trusted person check on your home every now and then will also help increase your home security.

Christmas time should be fun. However, getting robbed is not one of the things you want to experience. Make sure you employ home security strategies to protect your home and property.

These are just some of the strategies that you can use so that your Christmas holiday is not ruined by something horrible like fire, burglary, accidents or even deaths. Sure, it is a time to enjoy but this does not mean you should put your guard down. In fact, you should always be vigilant so you are one step ahead. Your holiday Christmas celebration becomes more special if you have home safety strategies in place. Taking precaution is worth the peace of mind.