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"Tis the Season" were the words superimposed over the photo of the Nov. 22 front-page Mirror article "Local tree farms opening for Christmas season.'
Christmas is supposed to be -- and is -- a joyous time of the year for most area families, businesses and other entities of myriad kinds. And, if all peoples of the world could be as festive and generous during the other 364 days of the year as they are on Christmas Day, this planet would be a much better place.
Still, unfortunately, there is a worrisome side of the holiday season that need not be so worrisome, if people throughout this region and beyond would opt for several easy precautions.
Too bad many individuals and families don't.
We're focusing here on fire safety, especially safety precautions in regard to Christmas trees and other holiday decorations.
In this country, October is Fire Prevention Month, and a week within that month is celebrated as Fire Prevention Week. But if there was a time set aside as Fire Prevention Season, it would have to be the time when Christmas decorations are adorning interiors and exteriors of homes.
There ought to be more emphasis on that by fire services -- volunteer and paid -- during the weeks in question and the weeks leading up to when decorations begin showing up in homes, as well as outside in yards.
One of the first subjects of emphasis should be inspection of wires and other electrical components that are part of decorations. It is not uncommon for some families, year in and year out, to use the same strings of lights for a decade or more, without paying much attention to the condition of those decorative items. That is dangerous oversight.
Meanwhile, some families who decorate with live Christmas trees forget to put water in their tree stands to prolong the condition of the trees. That too can be a prescription for fire.
In the Nov. 22 front-page Mirror article in question, Rick Koontz, owner of Sellers Tree Farm, Bedford, was quoted as saying, "It has been powerfully dry (this year). We are desperate for rain. When you take a live tree home, you will want to water it well."
Koontz's view was echoed by Tim O'Connor, spokesman for the National Christmas Tree Association, who said proper care of a fresh-cut Christmas tree is critical -- keeping it watered every day.
In the article, buyers were urged to look for a tree that is green and not beginning to brown.
As important as taking the right precautions regarding tree decorations and proper watering -- and ensuring that circuits are not overloaded -- is the need to ensure that smoke detectors are working properly and have fresh batteries in them.
Many people succumb to blazes, including around Christmastime, each year because of their lack of smoke-detector safety. Those who embrace the foolish notion that "a fire can't happen at my home" are living dangerously, not only for themselves but for their families as well.
The National Fire Protection Association says that while unattended cooking is the number one cause of home fires, almost three of every five home fire deaths result from fires where no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms are present.
Enjoy your holiday decorations, and there is no need to skimp on them.
However, make safety your first concern. Santa Claus can do the rest.