Thanksgiving is here and the end of the year holidays are coming fast! During this holiday season many families like to share in the holiday spirit by decorating their homes inside and out. I was always the one in my family to organize the “holiday prep squad” (usually just my sisters and me) and we would set up the lights and decorations for our home. From my experience, here are a few tips to make setting up decorations safe and simple.

Ladder Prep
Make sure that the top of your ladder has rags tied around the top to prevent it from scraping up whatever you lean it against. Also check to see if the feet of the ladder have some sort of rubber or other material to keep the ladder from slipping out from under you.

Light Hanging Prep
To make the job easy for future years, place hooks along the underside of the wood trim so that you can dangle the lights from them. Placing them on the underside makes the hooks stay out of sight during the rest of the year.

Light Safety
Test each string of lights before you start putting them up! First, you want to make sure that the wires aren’t exposed and sockets aren’t damaged. Second, you don’t want to spend hours on a ladder before realizing a section right in front of your house is out. Throw away or repair broken strings of lights and then make sure they are hung and fastened to your house so they won’t fall.

Electric Cords
In case you plan on having extension cords to help power your lights, make sure you have the connections in places where rain or snow won’t affect them. Wrap the connections in saran wrap, plastic bags, and electric tape in an extra attempt to keep the lights running and to keep everyone safe. There are also “extension cord safety seals” that you can use to protect your connections.

General Safety

1. Turn off lights when you leave or go to bed to avoid any chance of a shortage or other electrical problem while gone or asleep
2. Turn off lights when making repairs
3. Keep your decorations away from hazardous areas (i.e. power lines, too close to the road, etc.)
4. Use a ground-fault circuit interrupter when plugging in outdoor lights to protect against electric shocks

Following these simple tips will help keep you safe while you make your house the best looking house on the block!