The holiday season can be a memorable and magical time of the year. Along with the gifts, however, the holidays can bring food, travel, decorations, crowded schedules, and distractions. As a result, it also brings an annual spike in preventable accidents.
Most risks fall into a handful of predictable categories. Most can be avoided with simple precautions. Find out which major holiday hazards are most likely to happen this season, how to prevent them, and which insurance policies can offer a safety net, just in case.
1. Thanksgiving Kitchen Fires
Thanksgiving generates the highest home-cooking fire risk of the entire year. The National Fire Protection Association reports that an estimated 1,610 home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day. That is a 399% increase compared to the daily average. The main cause of Thanksgiving fires is unattended cooking. The combination of football games, guests, kids, and multitasking can steal your attention, and a moment of distraction is enough for oil to overheat or a pan to ignite.
Prevention Tips: Stay in the kitchen while cooking. Assign someone else to answer the door, watch the kids, or manage distractions. Keep flammable items away from burners. If you are frying a turkey, use a stable outdoor setup away from structures.
2. Holiday Decorating Injuries
Roughly 18,400 people visit emergency rooms each year due to accidents involving Christmas decorations. Injuries peak on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Most stem from falls. The Consumer Product Safety Commission tracks about 160 decorating-related injuries every day in the holiday season. Half lead to broken bones, concussions, or pulled muscles.
Prevention Tips: Use stable ladders, avoid climbing while carrying items, and keep walkways clear of cords and other obstructions. Work with a partner who can steady equipment and watch for hazards.
3. Toy-Related Injuries
Toy-related injuries sent an estimated 154,700 children to emergency rooms annually, and approximately 10 of those incidents are fatal. Most involve choking hazards, sharp edges, or motorized components that children cannot manage safely. Button batteries, often found in children's toys, can pose a real threat in the form of severe, life-threatening injuries in as little as two hours.
Prevention Tips: Check age guidelines before buying toys. Remove damaged parts and supervise new toys until you understand how to use them properly. Make sure battery compartments are secure and stash extra batteries, especially button batteries, up and out of reach of small children.
4. Decoration-Related Fires
Fires linked to holiday decorations are another seasonal pattern. Between 2016 and 2018, Christmas trees caused about 100 fires each year, while candles caused roughly 1,000. Dry trees, frayed wiring, and unsupervised open flames are the usual triggers.
Prevention Tips: Use indoor-rated lights. Turn off decorations before bed. Use candle alternatives, or keep candles away from flammable materials. Water live trees daily.
5. Lifting and Carrying Injuries
Heavy objects, such as trees, large packages, and over-packed shopping bags, can strain muscles in the back and neck. These injuries tend to increase in December when people are rushing and carrying more than they should.
Prevention Tips: Lift with your legs, not your back. Make multiple trips instead of overloading, and use carts when available. For oversized or heavy-weight objects, enlist the help of a friend, neighbor, or family member.
6. Holiday Car Accidents
More than 600 people die on U.S. roads during the days surrounding Christmas and New Year's Eve. Crashes often involve impaired driving, fatigue, or distraction. Winter weather and heavy traffic can increase the risk even further.
Prevention Tips: Plan routes ahead of time and avoid late-night driving when fatigue is higher. Never drive after drinking. Use a designated driver or rideshare. Give yourself extra time for holiday congestion and for weather-related driving hazards.
7. Kitchen and Food-Related Injuries and Illness
Carving turkeys, opening packages, and preparing elaborate meals all add cutting hazards. Extra people in the kitchen and distractions from guests can increase the risk of cuts during the holidays. Food poisoning and allergic reactions also climb during the season. Alcohol-related issues increase at parties and family gatherings, and can lead to a number of injuries or illnesses.
Prevention Tips: Use sharp knives with stable cutting surfaces. Keep raw and cooked foods separated. Refrigerate leftovers quickly. Drink responsibly and monitor guests who may need assistance getting home.
How to Insure Against Holiday Hazards
Many of the holiday risks mentioned above can be mitigated by insurance policies. Homeowners and renters insurance policies can provide a safety net against property damage in the event of a fire in your home, for example. And the liability coverage that's generally included in your homeowners policy is intended to cover third-party injuries in case one of your guests is injured on your property. The right amount of auto insurance and health coverage can provide the extra support you need in case one of these seven holiday-related risks shows up at your door this season.