A Cleveland Clinic urgent care doctor cites common slip-ups of the season that resulted in 15,000 hospital visits in 2023.
Nothing dampens the holiday spirit quite like an accident. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent consumer advocacy group, the holiday season—beginning November 1 and ending January 31 each year—produces an average of 160 Christmas decorating-related injuries in the U.S. every day of that period. During the 2023 holiday season alone, “about 14,900 people were treated in hospital emergency departments due to holiday decorating-related injuries,” the safety agency writes.
Of course, there are countless ways to injure yourself, but Cleveland Clinic urgent care physician Dr. Allan Capin, MD lists four prevalent injuries that tend to crop up every holiday season.
Ladder falls are the most common injury type Dr. Capin reports, so prevention should be top of mind. “A person will go up on a ladder, and then sometimes either the ladder is not placed correctly, or you don’t have a spotter or somebody to watch you to make sure that it’s stable,” the physician explains. “They may also decide to get up on unstable furniture, such as a chair or a sofa, and that can lead to a fall,” he says, noting that head injuries can be especially serious. These falls account for nearly half of decorating-related incidents, the CPSC notes, underscoring how essential it is to use a stable ladder and a spotter.
The second major injury type involves cuts. Dr. Capin notes that “lacerations … can occur after being cut by a broken bulb,” especially when handling older or more fragile decorations.
Gift wrapping with scissors or cooking with sharp knives can also contribute to the overall injury burden. Slowing down and avoiding multi-tasking sounds easier said than done this time of year, but a trip to the ER is a far worse time-suck when doctors are noting overcrowding due to viruses “wreaking absolute havoc,” as one said in 2025.
Another injury category includes muscle strains and sprains, which Dr. Capin says typically occur when people lift heavy items like Christmas trees or storage boxes. As he points out, “those typically happen when a person tries to lift something heavy,” making warm-up stretches and team lifting smart precautions.
Fire hazards add another layer of seasonal risk. He says when they’re not adequately watered, natural trees “can catch fire immediately,” and that “candles should be enclosed in glass and placed away from anything that’s flammable.” The CPSC similarly urges consumers to water live trees or look for “Fire Resistant” labels on artificial ones, never leave candles unattended, and avoid overloading electrical outlets or connecting more than three sets of incandescent lights.
Finally, though Dr. Capin didn’t mention toy-related dangers, the CPSC reports that they seized more than 1.5 million toys in 2024—nearly 10% of those of presence of lead. This may also help emphasize the importance of age-appropriate gifts, safety gear for riding toys, and promptly discarding packaging materials to avoid choking and ingestion hazards.
So, as you plan your holiday decorating and gifting, remember that “safety first” is a rule that can ensure your celebrations stay memorable for all the right reasons—not for a trip to the emergency room.
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