Holiday Safety Tips

The holiday season is going strong and many families across the nation are jazzing up their homes with holiday décor and lights. While trees, lights and candles are beautiful around this time of year, it is important to take caution. According to the National Fire Protection Association, “Holiday or other decorative lights with line voltage are involved in an average of 160 home structure fires per year, resulting in an average of $9.0 million in direct property damage.” Fortunately, having home insurance from our agency in place will help to take care of the financial aspect, but this is still an unfortunate event that you do not want to ruin your holiday spirit.

This week, our agency has a few holiday safety tips to extend to you…

• Check decorative strings of light for any broken bulbs, frayed wiring, and other damages;
• Secure your holiday tree in a stand and place it at least three feet away from any flame or heat source;
• Never put real candles on your holiday tree;
• Water your tree daily to keep it from drying out;
• Remember to turn holiday lights off while you are not around;
• Avoid overloading electrical outlets in your home;
• If you are hanging stocking by the fireplace, make sure they do not dangle in front of any flames;
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree, for it can become charged and electrocute you.

As long as you follow these holiday precautions, you may be able to avoid a home fire at all costs this season. The last thing you need around the holidays is extra expenses and a disaster.

If you are interested in our home insurance options at The Horton Group, please do not hesitate to call or fill out a free quote form on our website. A typical policy will cover the physical structure of your home, liability, replacement costs, additional living expenses and personal possessions. Be sure to ask our agents about fires and what is covered under your current policy. Whatever you need, we will have you covered this holiday season.