by Deborah Cummings

Created on: December 26, 2008

The stockings once hung, now lay on the floor.

The gifts, neatly wrapped, they are no more

Where order once stood, now chaos abounds

Bows, paper and boxes now lay in a mound

Is this the scene in your home Christmas morning? The children, excited by the visit from Santa are tearing into the gifts and discarding them one by one. The Christmas wrap floats through the room, bows are squashed and boxes torn open with little hands are discarded as they move on to the next gift.

After the big event, your living room looks like a war zone and the urge to find the shovel and rake is in the back of your mind. However, all the wrapping and boxes have to be examined for parts and warranties discarded in favor of the big prize.

An accident waiting to happen could be lurking here. Toys that litter the floor find their way to hiding places only to reappear after everyone has gone to bed. The danger of stepping on a skateboard or anything with wheels could send you into orbit. Accidents abound the day after Christmas.

The day after Christmas is a health hazard in more ways than one. The excitement of the day will often make us forget to put away food that should be refrigerated. This can cause anything from mild discomfort to full blown food poisoning.

Many times gifts are not appropriate for small children without supervision. But the minute they open the gift they want to try it, so watch for anything that must be plugged into an electrical outlet. Children do not understand the dangers of electricity.

If your Christmas includes cold weather and a fireplace, do not go to bed Christmas night without first putting out the fire. All the wrapping paper and boxes are a hazard around a fire that could throw a spark and cause your living room to go up in flames.

Does your holiday include pets? If so, before retiring for the night, confine your pet. All the excitement of the day could cause even the best behaved pet to get a little frenzied. They may chew wires or other items that could cause them harm. They could eat something that could be extremely bad for their health. Spending the day after Christmas at your vet with a very sick pet is not part of the holiday plans. Health hazards do exist for pets as well as people.

Keep your holidays happy and hazard free by remembering to take a few precautions. This is a busy time of year and keeping up with everything is not easy. But by heeding a few rules of safety you can have a safe and healthy holiday season.

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