Tulsa, OK

If You Are Traveling Away From Home:

* Have a neighbor or a friend check on your house every one or two days.
* Install an automatic timer for your lights.
* Stop your mail and newspaper delivery for the days you are gone.

If You Are Away For the Evening:

* Keep the lights or the TV on so that it looks like someone is home.
* Don’t set gifts near windows where they can be seen from outside.

If You Are Shopping:

* Park in a well-lighted space. Shop before dark if possible.
* Hide the shopping bags and presents in the trunk.
* Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
* If possible, put your wallet in an inside pocket of your coat or pants.
* Have your keys ready when you return to the car.
* Shopping with kids? Teach them to go to a sales clerk or the customer service desk if you get separated.

If You Are In Your House:

* Keep your house doors and car doors locked at all times.
* Burglars sometimes pose as couriers delivering gifts or as collectors of money for a charity.
* Remember: if you do not know the person or he/she looks suspicious, do not open the door. A real courier will likely wear a uniform with the logo of his company, or it will be prominently displayed on the vehicle.
* Create or update your house property inventory. Take photos or video of such valuables as jewelry, electronics (TVs, DVD players, and computers), home office equipment, furniture, and house appliances.
* After Christmas, don’t put the boxes from your new electronics or other gifts next to your trash can where anyone can see them. Break the boxes down and fold them inside out.

Holiday decorating & lighting

• Use caution with holiday decorations and whenever possible, choose those made with flame-resistant, flame-retardant or non-combustible materials.

• Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and do not use candles to decorate Christmas trees.

• Carefully inspect new and previously used light strings and replace damaged items before plugging lights in. Do not overload extension cords.

• Don’t mount lights in any way that can damage the cord’s wire insulation (i.e., using clips, not nails).

• Keep children and pets away from light strings and electrical decorations.

• Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving the house or going to bed.

Holiday entertaining

• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. When cooking for holiday visitors, remember to keep an eye on the range.

• Provide plenty of large, deep ashtrays and check them frequently. Cigarette butts can smolder in the trash and cause a fire, so completely douse cigarette butts with water before discarding.

• Keep matches and lighters up high, out of sight and reach of children (preferably in a locked cabinet).

• Test your smoke alarms, and let guests know what your fire escape plan is.

Trees

• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label “Fire Resistant.”

• When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break.

• When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces, radiators or portable heaters. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.

• Cut a few inches off the trunk of your tree to expose the fresh wood. This allows for better water absorption and will help to keep your tree from drying out and becoming a fire hazard.

• Be sure to keep the stand filled with water, because heated rooms can dry live trees out rapidly.

• Make sure the base is steady so the tree won’t tip over easily.

Lights

• 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.

• Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use.

• To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples, not nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.

• Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.

• Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.

• Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.

Decorations

• Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals.

• Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.

• In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children.

• Avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a young child to eat them.

Fireplaces

• Before lighting any fire, remove all greens, boughs, papers, and other decorations from fireplace area. Check to see that the flue is open.

• Use care with “fire salts,” which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten.

• Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

Toys and Ornaments

• Purchase appropriate toys for the appropriate age. Some toys designed for older children might be dangerous for younger children.

• Electric toys should be UL/FM approved.

• Toys with sharp points, sharp edges, strings, cords, or parts small enough to be swallowed should not be given to small children.

• Place older ornaments and decorations that might be painted with lead paint out of the reach of small children and pets.

Children and Pets

• Poinsettias are known to be poisonous to humans and animals, so keep them well out-of-reach, or avoid having them.

• Keep decorations at least 6 inches above the child’s reach.

• Avoid using tinsel. It can fall on the floor and a curious child or pet may eat it. This can cause anything from mild distress to death.

• Keep any ribbons on gifts and tree ornaments shorter than 7 inches. A child could wrap a longer strand of ribbon around their neck and choke.

• Avoid mittens with strings for children. The string can get tangled around the child’s neck and cause them to choke. It is easier to replace a mitten than a child.

• Watch children and pets around space heaters or the fireplace. Do not leave a child or pet unattended.

• Store scissors and any sharp objects that you use to wrap presents out of your child’s reach.

• Inspect wrapped gifts for small decorations, such as candy canes, gingerbread men, or mistletoe berries, all of which are choking hazards.

• Though it’s so tempting, don’t give your pet large quanitities of cooked turkey and ham during the holidays. Again, human food is too rich; overfeeding of human food can cause additional health problems and feeding human food will often lead to unsatisfactory eating habits when given pet food at their regular mealtimes. Consumption of human food can also result in pitiful begging, an aggravating habit hard to break, when the family sits down for meals.

• BONES ARE DANGEROUS! Please, please don’t feed your pets bones, especially poultry bones. Poultry bones splinter easily - each year thousands of pets are treated for consumption of splintered bones, causing pain and sometimes death.

• Increased activity and visitors during the winter holiday season can upset your pet’s routine. Try to keep your pet on his regular schedule for feeding and exercise and be sure the pet gets plenty of love.

• If you are planning to take your pet with you when visiting friends and relatives during the holidays, be sure to contact them in advance to find out if your pet is welcome. Because of the excitement during the holidays, it might be best for you and your pet to board your pet or hire a reputable pet sitter.

• The lovely bubbling holiday lights are moderate to lethal toxicity, depending on the amount of fluid (methylene chloride) inhaled or ingested.

• Please do not use angelhair (spun glass) - low toxicity; can cause irritation of the eyes, skin and gastrointestinal tract. Artifical snow and snow flock also has low toxicity - dry particles are inert; however, toxicity from inhalation can occur if spayed directly in the mouth.

• Hang your treasured ornaments higher on the Christmas tree. Use wooden, medal, resin-cast or the like on the lower branches in case curious little paws want to play with bright and colorful ornaments. Tinsel isn’t toxic, but if ingested, intestinal obstruction and choking are potential problems…please don’t use.

• The beauty of the fireplace colors (fire salts) is breath-taking on a cold winter’s evening - moderate toxicity; symptoms are gastrointestinal irritation with vomiting and a variety of other manifestations, including convulsions.

• Resist the temptation to tie ribbons around pets necks for the holidays. The pets can tighten ribbons resulting in choking or hang themselves if the ribbon is caught on an object.

• Keep gift ribbons and bows out of sight to prevent chewing and swallowing.

• Replace metal ornament hooks with tightly knotted fabric 1/4 inch ribbons, light-weight twine or yarn to slip easily over the branches of the tree.

• Keep all pets securely indoors during firework displays. The frightening noise and the danger of exploding fireworks are hazardous to your pet.

• A number of Christmas season plants are poisonous to pets if nibbled or eaten: ivy - moderate to very toxic, all parts; holly - moderate to very toxic, especially the berries and leaves; mistletoe - very toxic, all parts, especially the berries; Christmas greens such as balsam, juniper, cedar, pine and fir - all parts have a low level of toxicity; hibiscus - may cause vomiting or bloody diarrhea if ingested; and poinsettias - leaves and stems low in toxicity. This is not a conclusive listing…there are many more toxic plants. An additional listing of both non and toxic plants can be located here. It’s wise to keep plants out of your pets’ and children’s reach.

• Please do not give any animal or any pet of any age as Easter and Christmas gifts. Remember the first weeks of a new life or a sudden change in an adult pet is extremely traumatic for them. Instead, give gifts of pet supplies, food, and accessories. Then after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the loved one can make a selection of the selected pet of their choice to bring home to peace and quiet for the pet. This will also provide the happy new pet owner time to spend with his/her new life-time commitment.

Have a safe and happy holiday!