Christmas lists are a famous part of this season – the naughty list, the nice list, the list of gifts you need for your friends and family…but what about the list of things you need to do to keep yourself safe? There is so much hustle and bustle during the holidays that it is very easy to forget to look after yourself and your home, so we have written this list for you!
Slipping and Sliding through the Snow
As beautiful as snow is it can also hide a lot of danger. It can melt into slush and freeze into black ice, turning the roads into dangerous slides. It can freeze over windshields and be a hassle and hazard for drivers. Furthermore, while it looks lovely on the rooftops, it makes them very slick and even more dangerous for anyone up there hanging lights or going down chimneys. Make sure to protect your car by making sure your tires are equipped to drive in snowy conditions and that their thread is not worn down. Never throw hot liquid onto frozen windshields in an attempt to melt it off, this can cause them to crack. Make sure to check your auto insurance policy to be sure that your vehicle is covered for repairs and replacements. If you do have to go up onto the roof, make sure to wear proper footwear and a sturdy ladder. Have someone hold the ladder for you so that if you fall, they can get you to a hospital quickly. Make sure that your roof is healthy enough to withstand snow and water and that, if damage does occur, it has enough protection listed in your home insurance policy.
Lighting the Tree (not the house)
Christmas lights are a beautiful part of this holiday season. People love to create these twinkling displays over their home and to drive around looking at the others in their area. Lights can ware down and be damaged by the changes in winter weather, so always make sure to check for cracked bulbs and frayed wires. Change any fuses that may be too old in your decorations to prevent them shorting, sparking, and setting your home on fire. Remember, the chimney should be lit on the inside, not the outside. Sparks on the outside of the home can lead to frame fires and sparks on the tree can result in a very toasty pyre. Make sure that any fake trees you purchase are flame-retardant and that lights on living trees do not stay on for too long and overheat. It is always smart to put your lights on a timer, whether inside or out, to help prevent damage from overheating.
The Grinch Who Stole After Christmas
We love getting special gifts for our loved ones, whether they are the newest gaming console, TVs or computers for the home, or something shiny, new and expensive to wear. Online shopping has made purchasing these items much easier thanks to home delivery allowing us to avoid the chaos in shops and malls at this time. While this is a great convenience, exchanging financial information online leaves us open to attacks from hackers and scammers. Making sure that any sensitive information that has been stolen or ransomed can be replaced or returned is the main reason that cyber insurance is a growing necessity for regular people, and not just for companies. Make sure to protect your financial accounts with up-to-date security questions and passwords, as well as 2-step verification to alert you of account activity. Research the reputation of lesser-known online retailers to see if they have caused exposure risks to others and never give your information out through emails or other unofficial mediums.
Cookies and Milk
People love to gather together with friends and family during the holidays, and even though this year has put a lot of restrictions on gatherings like this, we still try to make the ones we can have special. Seasonal meals like roast hams and turkeys are staples for the holiday dinners we have, as well as eggnogs and spiced or mulled wines. Make sure that food is properly prepared to avoid any loved ones getting sick and keep in mind any allergies that people may have to avoid any liability risks and costly hospital visits. If guests will be drinking the fun and festive beverages of the season, make sure that they drink responsibly and do not drive impaired, especially in hazardous winter conditions.
Peace (of mind) on Earth
Nobody wants to think unhappy thoughts during the happiest time of the year. It is a time for loved ones to come together and enjoy everyone’s presence and make happy memories. The unfortunate truth is that eventually those memories will be what we have left of some of our closest loved ones, and we will have to make sure that they are looked after once they are gone. This is when we must look to the other friends and family that they left behind and figure out how to pay for the arrangements. The best gift that we can give in this situation is peace of mind. Life insurance is usually thought of too late but is what is needed the most in times like these. Making sure that our loved ones will not have to worry about costs and arrangements once we are gone is the best gift we can give them for when times are hard enough because of loss. The payments for life insurance are cheapest when it is purchased younger and when we are healthy and in our prime, so instead of the trivial necklace or video game that we want to play a few times until we get bored of it, think about purchasing a life insurance policy that will pay off down the road and make sure that there will be one less (several, actually) thing to worry about once you’re gone.