Tips to avoid holiday related injuries

The Christmas decorations are up, your kids are counting down to the big day.

It's always an exciting time for the family, but if you aren't careful, holiday hazards can get in the way.   

Dr. Scott Burger, with Doctors Express Urgent Care Center says, "A fair number of people sustain injuries from broken ornaments. They come down the next morning and they don't realize that an ornament broke, they're walking barefoot and they get a sliver in their foot typically." 

Dr. Burger says he's seen his fair share of holiday related injuries over the years, many of them from Christmas trees and the decorations that go on them.

If you have little ones, Dr. Burger says keep all the ornaments up high out of reach. And be sure to turn off the lights on your tree when you're not around.

"Lights should not be left turned on when you're not at home or at night. You should turn that off because those lights can heat up. You also don't want something shorting."   

On Christmas morning, when it's time to unwrap the gifts, take your time with the packaging. 

Dr. Burger says, "We all know how difficult it can be to get some of these toy boxes open. Start using scissors, screwdrivers, exacto knives to tear these things apart and open them up for their kids and they stab their hand with a pair of scissors or they slice their hands open."

And keep in mind, with some presents you should proceed with caution.

"Parents get their child a skateboard and either the child doesn't know how to use the skateboard yet or they are reliving their youth and forgetting they haven't done it in 20 years and will go down the driveway and slip and fall and land on their wrist, land on their elbow," says Dr. Burger.