There’s nothing like rockin’ around the Christmas tree and celebrating such a joyous and magical holiday with your closest friends and family members. Eggnog fills every cup and cookies in the shapes of Santa, reindeer, Christmas trees and snowflakes are stacked high on serving platters for guests to enjoy.
When hosting a Christmas party, don’t let liability be an unexpected guest because someone enjoys too much eggnog. Following are a few tips to help keep your soiree full of cheer:
If your guests plan on getting Blitzen…
Few things go together better than festive cocktails and tacky Christmas sweaters. If you serve alcoholic beverages at your get together, keep in mind that if your guests get drunk, attempt to drive home and cause a collision that injures or kills another party or damages that party’s property, you may be held liable.
With that in mind, consider the following tips:
- Make Santa’s nice list by being responsible. Talk to your guests before they arrive and insist that they appoint a designated driver, have the number of a local cab service saved in their phones or have the Uber or Lyft apps downloaded. All guests need to have a predetermined plan for how they’re going to get home at the end of the night so that they don’t try to drive. It’s also a best practice to collect keys as your guests arrive.
- Offer more than spiked hot chocolate. Speaking of designated drivers, be sure to have holiday drinks sans alcohol for them to enjoy, too.
- Be vigilant. You’re hosting the party and should be able to have fun since you don’t have to worry about driving home. But remember that you assume social host responsibility for your guests. It’s important to keep an eye on your guests. If anyone seems to be drunk, make sure to let him or her know that spend the night is an option.
- Hire one of Santa’s helpers. Don’t feel comfortable telling your guests that they’ve had enough? Hire a bartender to serve drinks at the party. He or she can monitor your guests’ alcohol intake and cut them off if need be.
- Avoid playing reindeer games. Playing drinking games makes it difficult for partygoers to keep track of how much they’ve had to drink. Avoid drinking games to prevent running into any surprises toward the end of the night.
Keeping these tips in mind will allow you to enjoy your party with minimal stress.
Deck the halls, but keep fire hazards at bay
Some of the most common Christmas decorations are lights. Whether they’re string lights wrapped around the tree or candles filling your home with the scent of sugarplums and candy canes, bear in mind that these decorations can be serious fire hazards.
According to the National Fire Protection Agency, Christmas Eve and Christmas day were two of the top three days of the year for candle fires. Also, the Insurance Information Institute estimates that holiday fires cause $900 million worth of damage each year in the U.S.
To prevent becoming a holiday fire statistic;
- Remember that candles are open flames. Keep candles at least a foot away from flammable items such as wreaths, trees and other greenery; wrapping paper; curtains; etc. When party guests are roaming around your home – especially if liquor is involved – they could knock a decoration or candle over, starting a fire. Keep candles and ignitable items a safe distance apart.
- Inspect all lights. Make sure all strands of lights are in good working order and don’t have any frayed wires that could cause other decorations to ignite. You want your party to be the talk of the town but not because your string lights caused a house fire.
- Again, be vigilant. It’s absolutely necessary to always keep an eye on candles when they’re burning. Leaving the room or the house? Extinguish your candles before you go. Don’t assume that your guests will keep their eyes peeled for fires.
We hope our safety tips help keep your Christmas party merry! Happy holidays!
Shannon Ireland writes for SafecoInsurance.com and HomeownersInsurance.com, an online resource for homeowners and drivers across the country. Offering comparative automobile and home insurance quotes, consumers rely on HomeInsurance.com for the most competitive rates from the top-rated insurance carriers in the country. The HomeownersInsurance.com blog provides fresh tips and advice on a range of financial topics to help homeowners and homebuyers make educated decisions about their insurance purchases.
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