Keeping the Holidays Safe and Enjoyable

MHA would like to wish a happy and joyous holiday season to everyone. We know that this week people have varied levels of work and activities surrounding the holidays and year-end preparations. Here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, traffic is significantly lighter in spite of all the holiday visitors. This results in a much more relaxing commute that makes the week prior to Christmas Day somewhat less stressful!

This week, rather than focusing on organizational readiness, we will reflect on some ideas and thoughts for keeping ourselves, and our loved ones, safe through the entire season. As we have recently discussed, people are our most important resource, and that is most surely the case this week.

Personal Holiday Safety

Here is a list of ideas to prevent unfortunate incidents or emergencies in our personal lives:

• Are you ordering any last minute gifts online? Consider using a pickup location for your packages rather than having the delivery driver leave them at your door. This is an option for many online retailers (such as Amazon), as well as for delivery services such as UPS and FedEx. You can easily arrange to pick packages up at their convenient designated locations.
• Be more attentive during your driving. Traffic patterns will be different over the next two weeks, and children will not be in school.
• Are you hosting a party? Consider asking your guests if they have any allergies or food restrictions. You may be surprised at their needs. For example, now that we know, we can readily accommodate our friend who has recently stopped eating gluten.
• We all know to leave lights on in the house when we are away, but consider leaving a television, radio, or streaming service on as well. Burglars are less likely to break in when there are signs of activity in a house or apartment.
• Be aware of any decorations that may cause a hazard, both in your own home and while visiting others. Though many of us have moved to LED-based lights, traditional lights are still common. We have some friends who still have bubble lights on a table decoration. Those get very hot, and we noticed that the little children were drawn to them. Also, toddlers and trees are magnets – at least for my grandson – and trees, if not secured, can easily fall over. Other heavy decorations can also pose a hazard.
• Holiday safety includes taking care of yourself. Continue your exercise program, if you have one, or consider taking time for yourself for quiet meditation or relaxation.

May you have a safe and prosperous holiday season.