Don’t have time to spare in the ER this season? Want to avoid haggling over an insurance claim? Need to avoid return trips to the store for recalled toys? You could play it safe by just buying and sending printed holiday cards. Ramp it up a notch with personalized holiday photo cards, and you’ll steer clear of the dangers posed by some other things we love most about the holidays.
Here are some startling facts:
- PRESENTS. Toys are what kids love most—unless they end up in the ER! 80,000 children under the age of five receive Emergency Room treatment for toy-related injuries each year in the U.S. Maybe the overzealous recall of 5.8 million products a year in the U.S. and Canada will keep the next Ralphie from shooting his eye out.
- CANDLES AND CHRISTMAS TREES. A combined average of $463.8 million in direct property damage per year start from mishaps with our flammable favorites. Which is the worse offender? The CANDLE causes $450 million of that damage, and is more menacing than the TREE with the majority of reported injuries (13,000 vs. 30) and home fires (15,000 vs. 400).
- DECORATIONS. Inspired by Clark Griswold to staple a lighting montage to the roof? If you’re a man, the odds aren’t on your good side, since 40% of holiday-related falls are men, and 50% of their falls are from heights as high as, well, a roof.
- LIGHTS. Want to see your house from outer space like Buddy did? How many extension cords, plugs and outlets do you aspire to tangle with this year? 1,300 injuries and 510 fires is nothing compared to 30,000 non-fatal electric shocks received on average per year by people playing cowboy electrician.
Maybe the most sure-fire way to enjoy a risk-free holiday season is the sending and receiving holiday photo cards. Now about those candy canes….
