If you’re among the millions who work off that Thanksgiving feast by decorating your home for the upcoming holidays, be sure to read on for our annual Holiday Safety Tips.

Don’t Become a Statistic

Here are a few holiday fire facts from the National Fire Prevention Association:

U.S. fire departments respond to an estimated 835 home structure fires per year that begin with decorations, excluding Christmas trees. These fires cause an annual average of 3 civilian fire death, 30 civilian fire injuries and $14 million in direct property damage.

Holiday home fires have three primary sources:

1. Christmas Trees

• Improper use of electrical distribution equipment such as extension cords and power strips and faulty lighting are involved in more than 40% of home Christmas tree fires. 
• Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires are started by lamps or bulbs. Six percent are started by candles on or near trees.
• Roughly 40% of home Christmas tree fires start in the living room.

1. Candles

• Candle fires peak in December and January with 11 percent of candle fires in each of these months.
• Year round, 35% of home decoration fires are started by candles. This jumps to almost half in December when candles start 45% of such fires.

1. Cooking

• Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.
• Cooking starts one-fifth of decoration fires.

Carefully decorating your home can help make your holidays safer. Here are a few tips on how to keep your home both welcoming and safe throughout the holiday season.

Don’t overload circuits
Typical household branch circuits are 15 amps, and this is plenty of capacity for normal household use. But adding large numbers of holiday lights, countertop kitchen appliances, and supplemental heating can put more load on a circuit than it’s designed for. This can lead to annoying trips to the breaker box, but it’s also a warning sign that trouble is lurking. If you keep tripping breakers, if outlets or cords feel warm, or if you notice any off smells around outlets, electrical devices, or cords, disconnect them to avoid creating a fire hazard.

Don’t exceed extension cord capacity
Extension cords are rated to carry a specific load, which is indicated on the packaging. When that’s exceeded, the cords can trip breakers or become overheated, melting insulation and causing short circuits and fires. Feel your cords after are on for a while. If they feel warm to the touch, replace them with higher capacity cords. Better yet, arrange your holiday lights and appliances so you don’t need extension cords at all.

NEVER use extension cords or power strips for cooking or heating
It may be tempting to plug that new air fryer, toaster oven, or space heater into an extension cord for convenience, but don’t do it.

Most household extension cords are 14-gauge and that’s simply not adequate for high-wattage appliances. The label may say the cord will support 1800 watts (15 amps), but sustained current at that level can cause them to overheat, melt, or catch fire. And since household outlets are typically on 15-amp circuits, using any other appliance, including lights, on that circuit will trip the breaker, crashing everything else on the circuit. And never “daisy-chain” extension cords. They’re designed to carry a certain load over a specific distance and hooking them together is asking for trouble.
Power strips are designed for use with multiple low-wattage items like computer equipment and similar electronics. Never use them with high-wattage appliances or they may fail, causing unfortunate results.

Don’t run cords under carpet or rugs
Modern building codes require wall outlets to be spaced at least every 12 feet, but older homes may not conform to this, creating the temptation to use extension cords. Use them if you must but realize that even a properly sized extension cord can get warm under load. When they’re run under rugs or carpet, this heat can’t dissipate and can lead to the same disastrous issues as an overloaded cord.

Protect all electrical cords from pets and small children
Dogs and cats (and toddlers) love to chew on things, and an exposed cord can be a real temptation. Aside from the risk of electrocution, gnawed-away insulation presents the danger of short circuits and fires. And loose or tangled cords can be a strangulation hazard, too.

Pets may roam the house at all hours, so check all your cords frequently for damage.

Avoid tripping hazards
Run any cords safely away from traffic areas to prevent tripping hazards (but not under rugs or carpet). If you must run a cord across a threshold or other open area, use a cord protector, available at hardware and home improvement centers, and be sure it’s secured properly in place.

Don’t let your tree or wreaths dry out
With all the holiday chores, it’s easy to overlook keeping your greenery moist. Check the water levels in tree stands and containers and discard any vegetation that starts to drop needles, turn brown, or feels brittle to the touch before it becomes a fire hazard.

Use candles safely
Decorative candles add a warm glow to cold holiday nights. But neglecting them can result in disaster. Keep them safely away from combustible items like drapes and decorations and keep them seated securely in holders away from high traffic areas, pets, and children. And never leave them unattended; fires can start and spread quickly.Better yet, use battery-operated LED candles to eliminate the risks entirely.

Turn off lights at bedtime
Since most holiday fires start in the living room, turning off the lights while you sleep is the safest. If you want to leave your tree lights on overnight, be sure to follow the precautions above. And be sure your smoke detectors are working properly.

Switch to decorative LED lights
LED lights come in nearly all sizes, colors, and shapes for decorative lighting —including the retro-look of large incandescent bulbs. They last longer, burn cooler, and draw much less current than incandescent bulbs. Because they draw less current, LED bulbs let you put more lights on a circuit without risking an overload. We highly recommend them for all your lighting needs year-round.

For more information about holiday fire safety, including downloadable tip sheets and videos, see the National Fire Protection Association website.

The pros at Allstar Electrical Services want to extend our best wishes to you and your loved ones for a safe and joyful holiday season and an even better year ahead. We look forward to serving your electrical needs through the remainder of this year and many more to come.

Give us a call or visit our websitefor any of your holiday electrical needs and for help on your projects in the coming year. And check out our Resource Articles for ideas and expert information about all things electrical.