Colorful, twinkling lights. Brightly lit plastic candy canes and snowmen on the front lawn.
    Such decorations help make the holidays a magical time of year, but they must be handled with care. Each year, fires occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 individuals and cause more than $930 million in damage, according to the United States Fire Administration, largely due to the misuse of electrical products and decorations.
    Here are some tips for using electrical products safely during the holidays:
    • Before decorating, read and follow the manufacturers’ instructions concerning the installation and maintenance of all decorative electrical products.
    • Indoors and out, use lights and other electrical decorations certified by recognized, independent testing firms such as Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL).
    • Use lights certified for outdoor use only for outdoor use. The same goes for indoor lights.
    • Carefully inspect each light before plugging it into a socket. Cracked, frayed, loose, or bare wires may cause a serious electric shock or start a fire.
    • Do not mount or support light strings in any way that might damage the cord’s insulation. Never nail or staple light strings or extension cords.
    • Always unplug an electrical decoration before replacing light bulbs or fuses.
    • Do not connect more than three light string sets. Light strings with screw-in bulbs should have no more than 50 bulbs connected.
    • Do not overload extension cords.
    • Keep all extension cords and light strings clear of snow and standing water.
    • Use caution when decorating near power lines.
    • Never use electric lights on a metallic tree.
    • Do not allow children or pets to play with electrical decorations.
    • Always turn off decorations before leaving home or going to bed.
    • Plug outdoor lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable GFCIs for outdoor use can be purchased wherever electrical supplies are sold.