The holiday is indeed the most wonderful time of the year and probably the most filled with activities. Because of this, the season is also prone to lurking mishaps despite its festive mood. The time from November to January is one of the busiest for most emergency departments and urgent care facilities in the country. 

To enjoy the best you can and keep your loved ones safe and happy this season, follow our guide below to prevent the most common mishaps during the holiday. 

Be Careful in Decorating

Decorating the interiors and exteriors of your home entails proper safety precautions. Keep away from using unsteady ladders, as this causes a considerable number of falls while decorating for Christmas each year. Additionally, avoid lifting too heavy items above your head since doing this will strain your muscles.

When decorating your house for the holiday, do the following:

• Do not lift heavy objects alone.
• Do not stand above the second-highest rung. 
• Ensure that your body stays within the ladder’s borders. 
• Keep one hand on the ladder at all times.
• Make sure your ladder is locked open and steady.

Concentrate When Cooking

The kitchen is another area of your house that you should pay attention to when it comes to safety. This is why we recommend that you prepare sufficiently for the holiday as hurriedly cooking can put you at greater risk of starting an accident in the kitchen. 

To ensure the safety of your family, try these tips:

• Keep your kitchen clean and clear.
• Plan your holiday meals.
• Ready several oven mitts.
• Separate cooked ingredients from the uncooked ones. 
• Sharpen knives before using them. 
• Wash your hands, surfaces, and utensils after every time you touch raw meat. 

Keep Yourself Healthy

Because of the busyness of this season, it is easy to get caught up in the celebrations and forget one’s daily routine. If you have a chronic illness, you should never risk doing this. So make sure you pack the necessary medications for your holiday trips and give your primary care doctor a call to ask for a prescription. If it helps, you can set alarms for taking pills, checking your blood sugar, and others. 

Watch What You Eat

Even if it is a holiday, try to think before eating anything. This is because overeating leads to various health conditions, especially acid reflux and heart attack. Keep in mind the following:

• Always have a designated driver when going out to drink.
• Eat a balanced meal by including fruits and vegetables. 
• Eat slowly. 
• Limit your consumption of alcoholic beverages. 

Unwrap Carefully

Surprisingly, even unwrapping gifts can bring a lot of dangers when done carelessly. Presents wrapped in thick plastic are especially prone to causing lacerations and cuts. Whether you are using box cutters, knives, or scissors, always be careful in cutting items open. And properly store these tools away when not in use so they do not end in your child’s hands or get lost in piles of wrapping papers. 

Conclusion

The holiday is a fun and busy time that may make you forget about following basic safety rules and precautions. However, bear in mind that many accidents happen when people are most careless about what they do and their surroundings. 

Use our simple tips above as your guide this season to ensure the safety and full enjoyment of the entire family!

If you need an urgent care center, turn to Aspen Medical Center. We are a locally owned outpatient medical facility in Santa Fe and Espanola, NM, offering state-of-the-art primary care and urgent care services. Give us a call today.