GREENWOOD, S.C. — The first week of November, with the clocks just turned back, is a good time for Greenwood homeowners to handle a few chores that make holiday decorating faster and safer later, according to Chad Charles, a builder with Charles and Associates in Greenwood.
His first piece of advice is to try every outlet you plan to use for lights and decorations well ahead of time, so you know each one works and can carry the load you intend to plug into it. Outdoor outlets should have GFCI protection and covers made to keep out the weather.
Before anything goes up on the porch or roofline, Charles suggests laying out each strand of lights and every extension cord and throwing away any that are frayed, cracked or otherwise damaged. Timers and smart plugs are easier to check on the ground than after the lights are hung. Cords should never be run under rugs or pinched in doorways.
Some warning signs call for a professional rather than a quick fix. An outlet that feels loose or warm, throws sparks, or a breaker that keeps tripping should be looked at by an electrician.
Federal safety officials add a few rules of their own. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises never connecting more than three sets of incandescent lights end to end and never overloading an outlet. It also recommends keeping a live tree watered, looking for a fire-resistant label on an artificial one and choosing flameless candles where possible.
The stakes are real. The commission counts roughly 160 decorating injuries a day across the country during the holiday season, and nearly half of them come from falls. In the season that ran from Nov. 1, 2022, through Jan. 31, 2023, about 14,900 people ended up in emergency rooms after decorating mishaps.
Charles’ list goes beyond the lights for anyone expecting company. He recommends running the kitchen and bathroom drains and checking that the bathrooms have hot water before guests arrive. It also helps to know where the main water shutoff valve is, so it can be closed quickly if a pipe bursts or a water heater or supply line fails.
The checklist comes as Greenwood heads into the holiday season. Winter in Greenwood brings holiday events in Uptown Greenwood and the Greenwood Christmas Parade in December.
Filed under: Greenwood SC Home & Garden News
