BE SAFE THIS FESTIVE SEASON
A few simple steps to stop your home becoming a costly Christmas casualty
The countdown to Christmas has started – this week we open the first window on Advent calendars. The shops are already full of decorations so, if you haven’t already started, now is a good time to plan how you will deck your home, and not just with holly.
If you get it wrong, you could end up with more than just a badly decorated home – you could suffer a conflagration. Fire brigade call outs increase at this time of the year; candles and cards are obvious risks. Cheap electric lights from unknown sources are a second danger and poor quality wiring can easily burst into flames, especially as many leave lights twinkling all night long.
Then there is the risk of ladder accidents as we try to reach ceilings to hang decorations, and also because of our growing love with decorating our homes outside. Putting ladders on soft earth to reach upper floors can easily turn into a visit to A&E.
Thankfully, for most, it will be a happy Christmas. First work out your budget.
You could spend a fortune – in the United States, some spend several thousand dollars on professional Christmas decoration companies.
Equally, you could spend nothing – many of us re-use decorations and lights from previous years.
Next, think about what you want to say. Will it celebrate the religious meaning? Or do you want to reflect more distant pagan mid-winter rituals? Or is it simply to say it’s party time?
The artificial and real-tree debate is never ending. Artificial trees can be used year after year. Many now come with built in lights. A 1.5m (5 ft) tree with 200 to 300 LEDs costs about £100 to £120 but trees for smaller spaces start at £40.
Real trees can shed needles and should be recycled after Twelfth Night. Nordman Fir trees, which hardly shed, cost about £30 for a 1m (3ft) version to £100 or so for a 2.5m (8ft) tree for larger homes. Shake the tree first (if needles fall, reject it). Sticky resin on the trunk is a good sign.
LEDs are much more reliable than old-fashioned lighting systems and use less electricity. The most basic starts around £5 while £10 will cover a small tree or decorate a window. Spend £40 to £50 and you could get enough flashing lights to cover a small house. Expect to pay more for colours.