It’s only been a couple of weeks since you put away all of
your Halloween decorations (or perhaps, they’re still hanging up outside) and
your neighbors have already begun to hang their Christmas lights. Every day you
see a new candy cane pop up in front of someone’s mailbox or the shadows of a
Christmas tree silhouetted in another neighbor’s window by the light from their
television. You might feel a little anxious about having to dig out all of the
Christmas lights, unknotting them, testing them, getting on a ladder to hang
them up, nearly breaking your neck in the process, and losing your temper when
a strand doesn’t work a la Clark Griswald in Christmas Vacation. But relax, by
remembering a few holiday-decorating safety-tips, things should go smoothly.
One of the biggest dangers posed by Christmas lights is that
of a frayed or damaged cord. Exposed wires can cause electrical shock or even
fires, so be sure you put your eyes on every inch of the cord before you plug
it in. While this may seem like a daunting task, it really isn’t if you take
things one strand at a time. As you unwind the cord, run it through your hands
and check the wiring for tears, as well as ensuring each socket has a light in
it (usually the strand won’t work otherwise) with no signs of being burnt out
or damaged. After you have checked the strand, plug it in to be sure it turns
on. Can you imagine how frustrating it would be to have that strand running
along your roof, only to find that it doesn’t work when you’re done placing the
lights? I’ve never made this mistake before… Honest!
That brings me to the most obvious tip when hanging lights-
make sure they all work before you even start hanging them. If you begin
hanging lights and then come across a burnt out strand, you will have to put
everything down, head to the store to buy a new set, and then come back only to
find another set of lights that isn’t working further down the line. Go ahead
and test all of the lights before you start decorating. It’s much easier to
have everything ready ahead of time, rather than having to start over, pause,
or take shortcuts because you don’t feel like running to get more lights. Also,
I recommend getting all the tools you need to hang the lights ahead of time. Try
using these
or something similar to assist with hanging the lights from your roof or
gutter; they are much easier and safer to use than a hammer and nails. The
insulated clips are also safer than nails or staples, as they do not become
electrified if they somehow breach the insulation of the strand of lights.
There are a few other more obvious things that you should
not forget about when hanging Christmas lights. First off, be sure to tape your
extension cords or any excess length of cable to the ground to prevent someone
from tripping. A broken neck is no way to spend the holidays! If your lights
are older, make sure they have fused plugs. This will prevent fire-causing
sparks if something short circuits. I also recommend taping the plugs where
they connect to prevent moister from getting in. You should also consider
elevating the plugs off of the ground in case of ice or snow. It might also be
a good idea to make sure that the outlet you are using to plug your lights in is
a GFCI, as it will shut off
the power to the lights if it detects current flowing through water or a
person. The most obvious tip I can give you for decorating safety is to not
take risks. Don’t get up on your roof if you’re not 100 percent sure that you
can get back down. It is also very important that you have someone help you any
time you are using a ladder while placing lights. Absolutely do not ever hang
Christmas lights on your roof alone!
There are some other, smaller, things that I recommend doing
to make your holiday decorating go a little smoother. First off, if you have
wooden decorations, wear gloves when carrying them out of your garage and
placing them. Sometimes they can be full of splinters around the edges. Always
use care when going in and out of your attic if this is where you store your
decorations. Every year it seems like I hear about someone in my family or one
of our friends falling through the attic while trying to retrieve something.
Also, use care when bringing stuff down from the attic. Don’t take shortcuts by
pulling down multiple items at a time, just take it slowly and no one will get
hurt. When taking down your decorations (yes, the holidays leave us as quickly
as they arrive), take care to do it in an organized fashion. You are only
making your next holiday season that much more difficult by rushing the cleanup
process. Label all of your boxes and wrap up all of your cords neatly. Save all
of the clips you used, they will come in handy when the holidays show up again
in 10 or 11 months.
So there, take a deep breath, relax, put on a warm coat and
go make your house look awesome!
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