No matter how you celebrate, be safe when you decorate. Follow these tips to keep the holidays happy:

Ladders:

• Inspect ladders for loose or missing screws, hinges, bolts, and nuts before using.
• Use wooden or fiberglass ladders when decorating outdoors. Metal ladders conduct electricity.
• Use the right ladder height, ensuring ladders extend at least three feet past the edge of the roof.

Christmas Trees:

• Keep the tree watered. Hundreds of dry, neglected Christmas trees catch fire each year.
• Do not place the tree close to a heat source such as a fireplace or heat vent. It will dry up the tree, increasing your fire risk.
• Recycle your tree. Never put branches or needles in a fireplace or wood-burning stove. Use a community pick-up service, make it into mulch, or prop the tree in your yard or brush pile as a bird habitat.

Fire Safety:

• Don’t put wrapping paper in the fireplace. It can quickly cause a very large fire that can throw sparks or start a chimney fire.
• Avoid real candles. Consider using battery-operated flameless candles, which can look, smell and feel like real candles.
• If you do use candles, place them in stable holders. Place them where they won’t be easily knocked over. Never leave a room or go to bed with candles burning.
• Never put lit candles on a Christmas tree.