How to Avoid Christmas Injuries this Holiday Season

Christmas is almost here and that means that people will soon be enjoying time with family and loved ones opening gifts, gathering around the fireplace, and eating delicious Christmas food. Unfortunately, it also means that Christmas-related injuries will rise. Here’s what you need to know to avoid getting injured this Christmas.

Deck the Halls With Lots of Falls

One of the best parts of Christmas is the decorations. People love to string up colorful Christmas lights, hang decorations, and put up the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks it is a good idea to grab a secure foot ladder or stepping stool.

“It’s very common to see patients who injured themselves from jumping up to put up decorations or simply weren’t standing on something secure when reaching up high and fell down.”

For some people, Christmas is the only time of year when they go up on their roofs to hang decorations and Christmas lights. Proper footwear and using a ladder are excellent ways to reduce the chance of falling, slipping, or getting injured.

Kitchen Nightmares

Just like at Thanksgiving, it turns out that Christmas is a time where people get injured a lot in the kitchen. How? Well knife injuries are very common since Christmas is generally a time where many families cook and prepare Christmas snacks, cookies, and of course meals. To avoid any knife injuries, be sure to stand on a secure surface when cutting and use a non-slip cutting board. You should also make sure that you wash your hands and any produce or ingredients to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

Digesting Decorations

Christmas is one of the few times of the year where many people’s homes are filled with decorations for sometimes up to weeks. Unfortunately, small children are prone to putting things in their mouths during the entire year and sometimes can’t resist the colorful and festive Christmas decorations they see. Children can even swallow colorful Christmas lights as well. To avoid any problems with small children around Christmas, make sure that you have childproofed your Christmas decorations, such as moving small decorations outside of their reach.

From Tears of Joy to Tears of Pain

Opening gifts can present its own problems. Oftentimes people are in a rush, may have drank too much, or just have an accident and cut themselves with scissors or knives while opening a gift (or even when wrapping them). To avoid this potential problem, always make sure you are standing or sitting in a stable position while cutting on a hard surface. Also, be sure to clear away any paper wrappings that could obstruct your view of what you are cutting and to cut slowly away from yourself or your fingers.

Speaking of injuries, if you didn’t catch our recent blog post on hazardous Christmas toys and child safety, then you definitely need to read it if you plan on buying a gift for a child this Christmas. Remember, if you start to feel ill over the Holidays or get injured, our Urgent Care Center is open during weeknights and weekends so feel free to walk in and we’ll get to work making you better.