It’s the most wonderful time of the year, so don’t let an illness, injury or accident keep you from celebrating a happy, healthy holiday season with your family and friends. Whether you’re outside shoveling snow or inside preparing your favorite seasonal dishes, our 12-holiday health and safety tips are sure to help keep the season bright.

Share our holiday safety infographic with your friends and family to spread holiday health tips as well as cheer. Click on the image below to see our full holiday safety infographic. 

12 Holiday Safety Tips: 

Shovel Safely: 16,500 people are treated in emergency departments for snow shoveling injuries annually. Make sure to take frequent breaks and warm up before shoveling with light stretching.

Bundle up: Feeling cold? Wear a hat – 40 percent of body heat is lost from your head. Also, mittens that fit tightly at the wrist provide more warmth than gloves. Read more tips in our infographic.

Light Your Tree, but Not on Fire: Christmas trees are reported to cause 200+ structure fires annually. Pick a flame retardant tree or a live, healthy tree with fresh green needles that don’t fall off easily. Make sure to keep all trees at least 3 feet away from all heat sources.

Deck the Halls Safely: Fires caused by decorative lights account for $7.9 million in property damages annually. Use safe lighting that’s tested, rated and stamped with the (UL)) label. Make sure your lighting isn’t frayed and that you use only 3 sets of lights per extension cord.

Cook with Care: 2/3 of all holiday fires start in the kitchen. Don’t leave your pots and pans unattended! Click our infographic for more tips.

Celebrate Responsibly: Have a designated driver this holiday season. 30% of Americans will be involved in alcohol-related car accidents in their lifetime.

Prepare and Serve Food Safely: Foodborne illnesses affect approximately 1 in 6 Americans each year. Make sure you wash your hands before handling food; use clean utensils and dishware, and throw out perishables that have been sitting out at room temperature for 2+ hours.

Avoid Holiday Heartburn: 20 percent of Americans experience acid reflux at least once a week. Give yourself 2-3 hours to digest food before bed. And, wear something that doesn’t fit tightly at the waist.

Keep the Holiday Weight Off: Stay hydrated through the day so you don’t confuse thirst with hunger. Eat a healthy snack before a big meal to keep your appetite under control.

Keep Holiday Plants Away from Children and Pets: Avoid Poinsettias, Holly and Mistletoe. Click our infographic to see why.

Spread Cheer, Not Germs: Beat the bug this holiday season. 5-20% of Americans get the flu each year.

Don’t Get SAD: 10-20% of Americans suffer from mild seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which results from insufficient exposure to sunlight. Click our infographic to see what you can do to stay happy.