Fact: Every year several deaths and millions of dollars in home damage are the result of holiday decorations. While this decor acts as a cheerful reminder of fun times with family and friends, it’s important to install holiday lighting properly to avoid dangerous conditions. In order to reduce your risk of a home fire, property damage or worse, be mindful of the following:

1. Use outdoor lighting for outdoors areas only. Outdoor lights are made to handle harsh elements and are properly insulated for inclement weather. Indoor lighting does not have this guarantee and should not be used to light the outside of your home. Indoor lighting can quickly become damaged from the elements and pose a fire risk. When you buy holiday lights, take note of whether or not the lighting can be used indoor, outdoor or both.
2. Use similar strands of lighting. Outdoor lighting should come with instructions letting you know how many strands of lighting can be safely linked together. Do not link more than that amount recommended by the manufacturer, and do not mix different brands or kinds of lighting together. For instance, you should not connect strand lighting of LEDs with incandescent lighting. Mixing light strands can cause shortages, which can lead to fires. If you are uncertain how many string lights you can use together, contact the lighting manufacturer.
3. Don’t leave your Christmas tree lit for too long. Hundreds of fires each year come start with lit Christmas trees. While most of these are due to natural trees that have dried out, some artificial trees are also at risk, particularly ones that are pre-lit. Always check the bulb connections on a pre-let tree. If there are any that are loose, then have them properly repaired. Keep natural trees watered regularly to prevent them from drying out and overheating from light strands. Always place your tree away from heat sources such as hot air vents, fireplaces, and radiators.
4. Don’t overload outlets. If you have multiple strands of holiday lighting, or if you are using multiple kinds of lighting in the same area, then use a power strip. Some light strands use different wattage amounts, which can short out your outlets and lead to a fire. Plug your lighting into a power strip and never link (daisy-chain) multiple power strips together.
5. Keep light strands away from high-traffic areas. Always place lighting decorations near an easily accessible outlet or power strip connected to an outlet. Do not put light strands across doorways or heavy foot traffic areas, which pose a tripping hazard. People and property can become easily damaged from falls induced from tripping over holiday lighting. Light strands should also be kept away from areas where pets and children can trip over the lighting and loosen it, which then becomes a danger to all within the home. Small indoor lights also pose a choking hazard for animals and children, so be mindful of that when decorating.
6. Do not staple into light strands. Stapling into a light strand can short circuit the light and pose a fire risk or short out the outlet. Contact a professional electric supply store for materials you can use to properly hang cables and lighting.
7. Use caution when lighting candles. Holiday candles come in a variety of pleasant smelling scents to cheer up the home, but also are one of the biggest fire risks during the holiday season. Don’t leave lit candles unattended and always keep them up and away from pets and children. Keep candle wicks short and don’t keep them lit for longer than recommended.

Keep the holiday season safe and fun by knowing the risks of improper holiday lighting and how to best use your festive décor.