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December is usually a time for families to come together and enjoy one another’s company. However, there are extra risks associated with the Holiday season. The yearly estimated fire loss for December 24, 25, and 26 is estimated at over $80 million*. Each year, these losses result from an estimated 11,600 fires that required a fire department response.

The first thing you should do to protect your home is to have the proper homeowners insurance coverage. If a Holiday disaster does happen to you, a homeowners insurance policy can help you get back to normal more quickly then if you are uninsured.

More Decorations Means Higher Fire Risk
December is the deadliest month for home fires. In fact, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve are the top three days for home fires. Although unattended cooking and heating are the primary causes of such fires, almost half (48%) were attributed to Christmas trees, which were caused by some type of electrical failure or malfunction. December is the peak time of year for home candle fires. In December, 13% of home candle fires began with decorations compared to 4% the rest of the year.

The Deadly Side of Christmas Trees
The NFPA also warns us about Christmas tree fires, as they contribute to over 300 home fires and 14 deaths every year. Christmas tree fires are generally caused by malfunctioning tree lights, and by the tree being too close to a heat source (fireplace, heater, candle, etc.) When decorating your tree, you should never use lights with worn cords or loose bulb connections, and always unplug the lights before going to bed or leaving the house

10 Tips For Holiday Fire Safety

1) Use Caution With Holiday Decorations
Try to choose decorations that are flame-resistant, non-combustible, or made from flame retardant material.

2) Watch Where You Place Candles
Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials. Also, don’t use candles to decorate your Christmas tree.

3) Buy Lights that have been Tested
When purchasing your Holiday lights and electrical decorations, buy those that have a label that they were tested by an independent research lab. Make sure you follow the instructions that come with the decorations.

4) Inspect Your Lights
Inspect new and used light strands and replace damaged items before plugging them in. Also make sure you don’t overload extension cords.

5) Unplug Your Lights When Changing Bulbs
If you have to replace a bulb, make sure you unplug the strand of lights before you change the bulb. Also, if you blew a fuse trying to get Rudolph’s nose brighter, unplug the decoration before checking the fuse box.

6) Check the Number of Strands You Need
Check to see how many strands of lights need to be connected. Make sure you don’t connect more than three strands of push-in-bulbs and a maximum of 50 screw-in-bulbs.

7) Carefully Hang Your Lights
When hanging your lights, make sure you do so in a way that won’t damage the cords wire insulation. An example would be using clips instead of nails.

8) Keep Children and Pets Away From Lights
Make sure that children and pets can’t get to electrical decorations and strands of lights.

9) Turn Off Decorations When Going to Bed
Make sure you unplug and turn off your Holiday decorations when you turn in.

10) Watch the Stove
The number one cause of home fires is unattended cooking. Make sure you don’t lose track of what you’re cooking when spending time with your family or guests.

With all the joys that come with the Holidays, make sure you take the extra precautions to make your Holiday season as safe and joyous as possible. And as the New Year approaches, it’s a good time to start thinking about updating your homeowners insurance policy.

*Content provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA.org)