The Holidays is our favorite time of the year! Families are likely getting together, sharing gifts, or decorating their home with all sorts of Christmas lighting and beautiful decorations. During this time of year, we  really stress the importance of electrical safety, to protect your home and family.

Did you know that every year thousands of people make make emergency room visits due to some holiday related mishaps. So we have devised this checklist to help you, ensure the safety of your home and your family this holiday season:

1.  Check each lightbulb carefully. Check for breaks in the cord that can cause a shock hazard. If there are any broken or cracked bulbs or frayed cords, discard them and buy new string lights, we recommend LED's for energy efficiently and bold bright colors.

2.   Check all your extension cords too. Do not tape them up, it is safer to purchase new extension cords. Use an outdoor rated cord, indoor extension cords can heat up and cause fires.

3. Make sure your electrical products are UL Listed, so you know your lights were manufactured properly. A red UL Listed label means that your holiday lights have been tested for rain, high humidity, and other outdoor elements. If your holiday lights have a green UL Listed label, it means that your holiday lights are suitable for interior use only. Although a green UL listing is only suitable for indoor use, a red UL Listed holiday light can be used for outdoor or indoor use.

4. Don’t plug in too many lights! Too many string lights can cause your circuit to trip. Be sure to pay close attention to the circuit rating on the label. This will tell you how many strings of lights your circuit can handle.

5. For outdoor lighting purposes, make sure you only plug your lights into GFCI electrical outlets. Make sure you purchase a weather resistant GFCI outlet, for outdoor use only. All GFCI outlets will prevent shocking and all weather resistant outlets are tamper proof. This makes for safe outdoor holiday lighting.

6. When Installing holiday lights to the outside of your home, never use metal staples or nails. Metal staples can pierce the insulation, and cause a shock or fire hazard to you and your home. Always use plastic hooks designed especially for this task. They're easy to install, easier to take down, and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

Most lease agreements prevent the use of candles, so here is one more safe lighting tip. Did you know that the average flame of a candle is approximately 1000 degrees. For the safest use of candles use the flameless LED candles especially if you have small children or animals in your home.

Follow these simply tips to make your holiday decorating fun, safe and most of all bright.