T he winter holidays are an exciting time for families,
especially children, and that means more cooking, decorating,
and entertaining, with a higher incidence of fire and accidents.
Following some simple guidelines will help make your holiday
season safe and enjoyable. * Artificial trees should be labeled
"Fire Resistant". * Live trees should be fresh (green color,
needles do not break when bent between your fingers, and the
tree should not lose many needles when tapped on the ground). *
Place trees away from fireplaces, radiators or heaters. Do not
block doorways. * Keep the tree stand filled with water; heated
rooms dry live trees very quickly. * Check all lights before
hanging on the tree for frayed wires, broken sockets or loose
connections. * Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The
tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights and
a person touching a branch could be electrocuted. * Avoid
decorations that are sharp or breakable if there are small
children in the house. Keep trimmi