Decorating With Christmas Past ($100 Best Buy Giveaway)
December 17, 2009 by Kailani
Filed under electronic, giveaways
This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to commentor #817: Cindy U!
My Mom recently decorated her Christmas tree and I noticed that she has so many cool decorations from Christmas pasts. Looking at them brings back such wonderful memories and I hope to do the same for my children when they’re grown. That’s why I plan to save all our ornaments for them to share with their future families.
However, there are some things to consider when using older decorations to make sure that you’re being safe.
- Check your lights, check them twice – Inspect all of your electric lights and decorations for damage or wear. Cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, and loose connections may pose a fire or shock hazard.
- Know your lights and cords – Do not connect more than three miniature light strings together. Also, be sure to check the rating on your extension cords and do not plug in more than the recommended wattage.
- Decorate with a safe eye – Cords should not be run under carpets or tacked-up with metal nails or staples. Small decorations can be choking hazards so keep them out of the reach of toddlers.
- Terminate the tinsel – Tinsel can be a choking hazard to small children and animals, especially cats who love the shine. Older tinsel made prior to 1972 can also contain lead. Best to be safe and keep it away.
- Use candles with care – Keep candles away from items that easily catch fire, such as decorations, window treatments and paper. Also, be sure candles are kept far from children’s reach and are extinguished any time you leave the room.
So make sure you’re being safe this holiday season!
Information courtesy of Underwriters Laboratories
WIN IT!
How would you like to win a $100 Best Buy gift card? To enter:
- Just mention in comments before midnight, Dec 24th how you stay safe when decorating for the holidays. That’s it
- A random winner will be selected and notified via email shortly thereafter.
- The winner will then have 2 days to claim their prize.
To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.
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- Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Underwriters Laboratories.
This giveaway is open to US addresses. Stay tuned . . . I have another $100 Best Buy gift card and a $200 Best Buy gift card to be given away soon!
This post was written for Underwriters Laboratories who provided the gift card for giveaway. I was not compensated in any way. By entering this giveaway, you are acknowledging that you have read, understood, and agree to our disclosure policy
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Owner of An Island Life and Family Review Network. Wife, mother, and flight attendant . . . living a blessed life in Hawaii. |
i always make sure i’m never plugging too many lights and decorations into each other. using only lights with UL on them, and using the proper extension cords. some are NOT meant for outdoors! so i hope people are checking that.
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i already subscribe :0)
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i follow on twitter @ciaraj13
.-= ciara´s last blog ..Merry SITSmas ’09! =-.
i have your blog badge on my left sidebar in the scroller :0)
.-= ciara´s last blog ..Merry SITSmas ’09! =-.
also a fan on facebook
.-= ciara´s last blog ..Merry SITSmas ’09! =-.
I’m careful how much I plug into other things and into indvidual circuits. I handle and pack breakable things with great care. I use a sturdy stool when working above my head.
I’m subscribed via Google Reader
I make sure that my lights are UL certified
Since I have a toddler we try to keep all of decorations out of her reach. That means that decorations are mostly on the mantle and window sills. We do have a tree up and she is only allowed in the room with the tree if hubby or I are in there with her.
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I subscribe to your feed.
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I follow you on Twitter. @nafyboocs
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I always make sure the cat doesn’t eat the Christmas lights!! I may have learned that one the hard way!!
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I am an RSS feed subscriber!
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I stay safe while decorating the house this season, by holding my husband’s ladder. Don’t want that rickety thing to topple over while he is up there stringing lights on the house!
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I always make sure ‘plugs’ are plugged in correctly.
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I already sub to your RSS feed!
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We keep all of the ornaments with small parts or that are made of glass out of reach of little hands. The bottom rows of our tree are filled with stuffed animal style ornaments.
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feed subscriber
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twitter follower (kissyj)
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Making sure the cords all still look safe – no cracks or anything like that. Keeping breakable ornaments out of reach of little hands!
I subscribe to your feed!
We make sure we test the lights and check the wires to see if they are still in good working order.
We don’t put up much that’s flammable, and we always unplug at night and when we leave!
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I never, ever light up real candles. With 3 kids in the house, I have to be extra careful. I remember the days when I use to light up a scented candle..it was great. I have no problem waiting until they get older so it’s ok.
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..The Winner of The Music Ace Deluxe Software is… =-.
Because we have several cats, we actually had to give up having a Christmas tree — they kept knocking it over, and I just didn’t want to take chances. So now we string garland up high where the cats can’t get to it, and hang a few ornaments from it. It’s not the same as a tree, but still very pretty and festive.
Thanks for the chance to win this great giveaway!
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We never leave our Christmas tree lights plugged in if we’re not in the room looking at it.
Thanks for the giveaway!
I’m subscribed to the feed via Bloglines under the name “Southerngirl.”
I follow on Twitter — @sharinlilbit
I have half of my mom’s ornaments and decorations (the other half are at my sisters house) – they are soo precious to me since we lost her. It’s hard to look at the decorations and ornaments sometimes….I just see so many memories. Good ones.
We take extra care especially now with a little one. We make sure to turn off the christmas lights when we leave the house (or aren’t in that room). Outside cords are taped off out of the way with electrical tape.
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Follow on twitter
@AFrugalFriend
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We try to avoid candles and just keep the ones we have as decorations.
I subscribe!
We are sure to not overload the outlets!
.-= Kendra Field´s last blog ..What a Week! =-.
we stay safe by not putting too many lights around the same area. don’t want to overload.
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i also follow you on twitter- @shootingstarmag
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I make sure to have my husband take care of the lights. No better way for e to be safe!
I subscribe
I don’t light the candles. Maybe when the little ones are older but until then they are just for decoration.
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I follow on Twitter.
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I tweeted!
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I always check the lights to make sure the strands aren’t damaged and I keep a close eye on my little ones so that they don’t pull on the tree or the ornaments!
I follow you on Twitter.
I subscribe to your RSS feed.
Tweet! http://twitter.com/thxmailcarrier/status/6784215740
I have your button up.
I never plug more than three sets into each other, and I always unplug the lights on the tree when we go out. Thanks for the tips on safe decorating and for the giveaway!
I am a subscriber
We really watch how many lights we plug into each outlet. My hubby put on to many in last year!
We have a timer on our lights so that they aren’t on for too many hours…saves electricity, money, and provides some peace of mind.
i already subscribe via email.