You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I’m telling you why. Accident causes may be coming to town. Christmas 2024 may bring you joy, rest and presents. But like any other December 25, it can bring Christmas injury risks that are not, shall we say, present during the rest of the year.
Here are 12 of them, one for each day of Christmas:
1. Christmas Decorations
Yes, that elaborate display of Snoopy and Rudolph fighting in the Peloponnesian War on your rooftop may be cool. But what happens if it falls on someone. And it may be great that you somehow managed to get 2,173,341 ornaments on your Christmas tree. But what if someone swallows some of them or injures a foot while stepping on them.
That’s why you should make sure that all decorations are secure before leaving them up. Avoid decorations that have very sharp edges or can readily catch fire. Keep people who may swallow things without thinking—like young children or your fraternity mates—away from small ornaments.
Putting up the decorations can be hazardous as well. Don’t try to reach for places where you may become off balance. Use appropriate equipment such as sturdy step-stools or ladders. Get someone strong enough to support you and, no, this isn’t your one-year old baby or that grandparent who needs a walker to stand.
2. Candles, Fireplaces, Stoves, Ovens And Other Potential Fire Sources
Chestnuts may not be the only things roasting on an open fire. Christmas combines a lot of potential fire sources with lots of flammable stuff such as Christmas trees, gift wrapping, stockings, alcohol and you. Keep these two sets of things as separate as possible, and make sure that any fireplace, candle and electric item you use is properly working, has been thoroughly inspected and doesn’t have defects like frayed wires. Double-check that things are turned off when not in use.
3. Packaging And Gift Wrapping
It’s a wrap. Gift wrapping can be hazardous as well. Not only can it catch fire, it can also be a choking, suffocation and strangulation hazard as well. Once you’ve freed your gifts of their wrapping, pack or throw any potentially dangerous materials away safely as soon as possible.
4. Toys
Just because something is called a toy and marketed for kids’ use doesn’t mean that it has been adequately tested and is completely safe for kids or for adults for that matter. Anything that can be swallowed can be choking hazard. Anything that has sharp edges can cut through body tissue. Anything that is heavy can fall on toes, legs, hands, arms, necks or heads. Before anyone uses any toy make sure that they know the potential hazards.
5. Batteries
Lots of things you may get and use during the Christmas holidays may run on batteries including items, children’s toys and ahem adult toys. Batteries typically contain dangerous, corrosive, poisonous chemicals inside them. So quickly discard any batteries that appear to be leaking. Keep small batteries such as lithium ones that can be readily swallowed away from young children and food.
6. Alcohol
Surprise, surprise, people drink alcohol during the Holidays. And drinking any type of alcohol in any type of immoderate way can bring more than a shot of risks. Risks can range from mood swings to alcohol poisoning to drunken accidents. Keep alcohol away from anyone who shouldn’t even be drinking the stuff such as your little kids. Monitor everyone’s alcohol consumptions. Someone protesting and saying, “Don’t worry, I can handle my alcohol,” is a reason enough to worry that things may get out of hand.
7. Holiday Foods
Salmonella. Here you go again. My, my, how can people resist you? Over the years, I’ve covered for Forbes many different foodborne outbreaks from Salmonella and other microbes. And oh, Mamma Mia, can food poisoning be a risk for Holiday meals, especially with things like turkey that people are not used to cooking the rest of the year. Food allergies can be a problem too.
But remember that food can bring injury risks as well. Food can have nuts, bits of dried fruit, bones and other small or sharp items that can be choking or gastrointestinal tissue damage hazards. However, before you think it is fruitcake-less to prevent food injury risks with any substantial food and serve nothing but gruel to everyone, keep in mind that a little caution can go a long way. Make sure that cooking operations are organized and do not resemble a rugby scrum in the kitchen. If you are going to get help in the kitchen, make sure that everyone is well-informed and directed so that they don’t end up inadvertently introducing something risky into the food. Inspect food before you serve and eat it.
And when eating something, be mindful of what you are eating. Don’t get distracted. Chew your food carefully rather than think, “Darn it, why did Bill send me this fruitcake,” with every gram of your attention and plotting a response.
8. Kitchen Items
Speaking of keeping things organized in the kitchen, the kitchen can be like a ninja warrior obstacle course, full of things that can hurt people in different ways. Now, people may know not to do things like put their heads in the blender. You could say that their heads are too big for that. But you’d be surprised as to what immature things people may do with various kitchen items, like using knives or spatulas to launch butter packets so that they stick on the ceiling. As a result, seemingly innocent items can quickly turn into dangerous weapons. Heck, even a baguette can do serious damage when you swing it like Shohei Ohtani would a bat.
9. People And Other Animals
News flash. People can do stupid things. So can other animals like dogs and cats. The jury is still out on who can be stupider. But the injury can result in any case. As I’ve written for Forbes before, the Winter Holidays can be a particularly stressful and challenging time for many. All of this can bring out even more careless behaviors than seen the rest of the year, which can in turn put everyone else at greater risk. Therefore, take heed of any warning signs such increased agitation or discussions that are likely to end up in arguments and alleviate them as soon as possible.
10. Travel
Lots of people are traveling for the Holidays. The combination of navigating unfamiliar places and stuff like stress and alcohol in different people’s bodies can raise the risk of accidents happening. Therefore, be mindful of your surroundings. Don’t drink and drive. Be cautious when around hazards such as stairs and train tracks. Put down your freaking smartphone. You don’t have to know what is happening to the Kardashians at every moment.
11. Snow And Cold Weather
Beware of ice, snow or slush covered surfaces and clear them off as soon as possible. Otherwise, you chances of avoiding injury may go slip sliding away. Also, the cold and dry weather can leave you skin drier and more susceptible to damage. Therefore, keep your skin well-moisturized.
12. Sex
Christmas may make you want to put a partridge in a pear tree or whatever euphemism you use for the word sex. But beware of being a bit too overzealous when riding the sleigh ride for two. It can lead to injury and not the type of holiday break that you want. Speaking of break, take a look at what I wrote about penile fractures during the Ring-a-ling-a ding-dong-ding season. A German study published in the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI) found the rate of penile fractures to be 43% higher around Christmas Day than around any other day of the year. A penile fracture is actually a tearing of tissue in the penis rather than a real fracture since there are no bones in your penis, regardless of what you might call an erection. It’s also not the only injury that can result when sex is too vigorous or a bit off target. Therefore, before rocking around the Christmas tree in any way, remember what the Pointer Sisters sang about a slow hand and an easy touch.
If you want to make this the most wonderful time of the year, do what you can to avoid Christmas injury. Make a list. Check it twice. You gotta find out. What around you will be naughty or nice. Don’t let accident causes be coming to town.
