Colorful Christmas lights being hung up around houses, seasonal plants like poinsettias and mistletoe everywhere, and the joy of getting to travel. Although these are enjoyable if the correct precautions are taken, there are lots of potential dangers these activities can inadvertently pose.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that a major danger is holiday decorations, like Christmas lights. On average, it reports about 160 Christmas decorating-related injuries each day during the holiday season, with nearly half of the incidents involving falls. Drunk driving is another common risk, along with poisoning from seasonal plants, such as mistletoe and poinsettias. Austin Fire Department Fire Specialist Josh Lewis has found that holiday-related injuries, including fire dangers, occur more often during the season.
“People trying to fry frozen turkeys during Thanksgiving, unattended space heaters, those are all common ones,” Lewis said. “Not only unattended, but also clothing piles too close to space heaters, space heaters not plugged correctly into the wall, instead plugged into a power strip.”
According to a survey conducted by Drive Research, 77% of people put up a Christmas tree and decor every year. Although it is a cherished tradition, people can make mistakes when putting up holiday decorations.
“The most common safety mistakes are not having inspected all the bulbs, making sure all the bulbs are there, inspecting the wires, making sure they are in good condition,” Lewis said. “If you follow all of the safety guidelines, of checking your lights, keeping [the Christmas tree] away from your fireplace, then you know it can all be very safe.”
Along with holiday decorations like lights and Christmas trees, festive seasonal plants like holly and mistletoe are common in and around houses during the season. Sameera Mehdi, an internal medicine doctor, believes these can be safe if the correct precautions are taken to avoid allowing the plants’ chemicals inside one’s body.
“Just be aware of what you ingest,” Mehdi said. “Chronic conditions can become exacerbated. For example, heart failure patients, if they drink too much fluid, then their heart fluid is exacerbated, if they eat too much salt, their heart failure is exacerbated.”
Mohammed Kurugu is a Pflugerville Police Department officer who reports dealing with more emergencies during the holidays. With traveling and going on family road trips during the season being another popular way to spend the holidays, Kurugu reports that roads can get dangerously crowded with more people coming in and out of the country.
“There’s gonna be more people on the road, so more traffic,” Kurugu said. “It’s gonna be more people who aren’t familiar or traveling from other cities, so there’s gonna be more traffic collisions. Then there’s an increase in people being out for the holidays, so more intoxicated drivers out there as well, so that also increases collisions and fatalities.”
Holiday events and parties can be a cherished tradition among friends and family, with lots of people gathering each year to celebrate together. Kurugu commented that these traditions can take place injury-free if the correct precautions are taken.
“For people who do attend holiday events and do partake in the use of alcohol, I would say not to drive,” Kurugu said. “There’s driving services. Utilize that, or call somebody. Do not drink and drive.”
With the rush of people coming in and out of department stores, shopping malls and other public places can reach capacity rapidly during the holidays. Places quickly get crowded, and it is important to be aware of your surroundings.
“During the holidays, you’re gonna have people who are out shopping more,” Kurugu said. “Thefts are crimes of opportunity, so lock your cars and hide valuables, don’t leave them in public view, like purses or gifts. There’s people out there looking to get that kind of stuff, and if they see it, they’ll take advantage of it.”
Cooking and eating delicious holiday meals is another major part of the holidays. Mehdi advises everyone to take in consideration their health while enjoying these meals, or the consumption of alcohol.
“The advice I would say is to do everything with limitation, do everything in moderation,” Mehdi said. “I had a patient who was cooking something on the stove, and it was hot and caught on fire, and they actually ended up burning themself because the stove caught on fire.”
There are many fun aspects of the holiday season, from decor like seasonal plants or Christmas lights, and gathering together in shopping malls to celebrate the season, or having family dinners. Kurugu believes these can all be enjoyable and safe traditions, as long as the right precautions are followed.
“One piece of safety advice I would say for the holiday season is don’t be in a rush to get places,” Kurugu said. “Don’t drink and drive, there’s no rush to get to places. Just slow down, stay safe, and keep others safe.”