• Follow age recommendation guidelines explicitly. Younger children often lack the appropriate motor skills to operate complex toys, particularly riding toys.
• Always check labeling to confirm the toy is non-flammable.
• Make sure the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has not recalled any toy you are planning to give your children.
• Always use proper safety gear, making sure to protect head, joints and teeth against mishaps that can occur with skateboards, scooters, roller blades or bikes.
• While most parents know to keep small parts or accessories away from little ones, the smaller pieces are equally dangerous and tempting to family pets.
• Don't box or wrap new kittens or puppies.
• Immediately remove all plastic bags and other dangerous packaging materials from toys and gifts if young children are present.
• During assembly, check toys for sharp edges or broken parts. Always keep screwdrivers and other assembly tools away from little hands.
• Gift-wrapped items can cause a fire if touching lights. Turn off tree lights before going to bed. Do not allow the lights to burn all evening or for extended periods while you are away from the home. Never leave candles unattended or near wrapped gifts.
• Don't offer criminals the knowledge that children live in your home by placing opened boxes outside your home or on the curb for trash collection. Boxes for hot or expensive toys like Xbox also can be inviting to thieves. Break boxes down and, if possible, place them in recycle bins or non-clear garbage bags.
• Don't burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. Some slick papers may omit carcinogens when burned.

• If you own individual items or a collection worth more than $1,000, talk with us, your Trusted Choice^SM agent, about additional coverage. For collections, you can choose a blanket policy that covers your entire collection for a stated amount. Items worth more than $2,500, such as engagement rings, generally must be insured under their own policy.
• Choose a policy that insures your collection for replacement cost or a stated value based on book price, secondary market value or appraisal, rather than actual cash value.
• Watch for policies that exclude coverage in cases of accidental breakage, flood or other events. Pick a policy that is "all risk"-one that insures you for every potential hazard.
• If you are in the collecting business, you will need to purchase business insurance to protect your inventory. Homeowners policies limit coverage for business losses.
• Keep all purchase receipts and supporting ownership documentation in a fireproof box.
• Keep a detailed inventory of items and their values, even if your insurer doesn't require it.
• Update your written appraisals every year or two.

• Choose a fresh tree. A fresh tree does not burn easily. Many consumers are not aware that trees are often cut several weeks before they arrive on Christmas tree lots for sale to the consumer. To ensure freshness, consumers may want to cut a tree themselves from a "choose-and-cut" lot or use a live tree they can plant in their yard after the holidays.
• Do a freshness test on pre-cut trees. Gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull toward you. Very few needles should come off in your hand.
• Don't leave a cut tree unsheltered and out of water.
• Just before you set up your tree, make a fresh straight cut across the base of the trunk to improve the tree's water absorption.
• Choose a sturdy tree stand that can hold at least one quart of water.
• Water your tree every day with fresh tap water only. A tree will absorb as much as a gallon or more of water in the first 24 hours and one or more quarts a day thereafter. A seal of dried sap will form over the cut stump in four to six hours if the water drops below the base of the tree, preventing it from absorbing water.
• Choose only fire-retardant artificial trees.
• Keep your tree away from heat sources like fireplaces and vents.
• Watch for unsafe electrical cords and plugs. In combination with poorly maintained trees, a single spark from a faulty plug can be costly or even deadly.
• Use safe, cool burning tree lights, designed for interior use. Make sure all lights are Underwriters Lab (UL)-approved. Test all light cords, extension cords and connections before hanging them. Never use outdoor lights on your tree.
• Avoid commercial fire retardants. Some actually increase the rate of moisture loss from a tree.
• Always unplug tree lights before leaving home or going to sleep.
• Never use candles to decorate a tree.
• Safely dispose of your tree as soon as it begins dropping needles. Dry trees are very dangerous.

Date Posted to Site:   Nov. 2005

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