At Roland, Abbott, & DeZoort, Christmas is our favorite time of the year. We enjoy time with family, eating good food, and celebrating the birth of Jesus. However, as special as Christmas time is, more accidents and house fires occur during the Christmas season than at any other time of the year. Keep an eye out for these potential problems.
The Christmas tree: This time of year, empty parking lots suddenly fill overnight with vendors selling pristine White Spruce and Douglas Fir Christmas trees. Families make the annual pilgrimage to pick one out and happily pay top dollar to take it home and decorate it around the fireplace. That’s the problem. A Christmas tree is one of the most flammable objects that is likely in your home. Aside from a five-gallon container of gasoline, nothing else will go up in flames as quickly as a Christmas tree which is why it should never be next to a fireplace. Just last year, Christmas tree fires did over $10 million in damage and resulted in serious injures across the country.
Christmas lights: If you’re anyone other than the Grinch, you love seeing houses decked out with an elaborate display of Christmas lights. There’s nothing better than watching young kids experience the joy of turning on the outdoor Christmas lights for the first time. The danger comes in putting up and taking them down. Christmas lights that require a ladder to be placed on a second story incur an additional level of risk as most of us only use a ladder a couple of times a year. Every year around 500,000 accidents are reported to Emergency Rooms and doctors offices from people who do not use a ladder professionally, Sadly, around 300 of these accidents result in death. An easy way to avoid this is to hire a company to put the lights up for you. Lately, many lawn services manage Christmas lights during the off-season and have trained professionals who can manage your lights for you.
Empty Houses: Most Americans travel at some point during the holiday season. Whether it is for a few hours on Christmas day or a week-long trip that overlaps with New Year's, thousands upon thousands of homes sit vacant through the holiday season. The problem is that criminals know this. As crime rates continue to surge after COVID across the country, your home is a sitting target if you are away for an extended period of time. This is why it’s really important to let a neighbor know when you are gone and to have a reputable security system. While we are not formally recommending this exclusively, Ring Doorbells on Amazon are a cheap way to always know what is happening at your house.
These simple steps are three easy ways to ensure you and your family are protected this Christmas season. Our team at Roland, Abbott & DeZoort hopes you have an amazing Christmas filled with family, food, and memories that will last a lifetime. If you have questions about your insurance or just want to make sure that you are properly protected, give us a call at (478) 745-7200 and we can help you protect what matters most.
From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!