DECORATE CAREFULLY AND CONFIDENTLY With These Holiday Lights Safety Tips
When every house on your street is covered in twinkling lights, you know the holiday season is finally here. Holiday lights are a staple of the season, and any house that doesn’t have them looks barren when compared to its
your find your lights have become damaged while in storage, it might be time to get some new lights. HANG YOUR LIGHTS PROPERLY While many a merry decorator will reach for their trusty staple gun to secure their holiday lights to their roofs and gutters, it’s not the safest way to go about things. Staples, nails, screws, and other metal fasteners could potentially pierce the lights’ cords, creating electrical hazards. Instead, use plastic clips where you can, and explore other methods for securing your lights that don’t require your staple gun. PREP YOUR LIGHTS FOR THE OUTSIDE Holiday light strands meant for indoor use often have thinner insulation and can become cracked easily if used outside. Make sure you’re only using cords and lights retrofitted for harsh outdoor weather. Always use extension cords with three-pronged plugs, and plug them into ground fault circuit interrupter outlets, which will immediately shut off in the event of an electrical overload. You should also elevate your cords above ground to keep snow and water from ruining them.
decorated neighbors. That said, there’s quite a bit of preparation that goes into making sure you have the perfect lights display, and safety should be the primary concern. INSPECT YOUR LIGHTS FOR DAMAGE
Cracks, frayed ends, loose connections, or broken bulbs can all create safety hazards, so make sure you inspect your lights carefully before you hang them up. Damaged cords can lead to electrical shorts that can damage your decorations or even cause a fire. If
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ingredients • 1/2 cup canola oil, CRANBERRY GINGERBREAD Gingerbread is a holiday classic of the very first order, but it’s often a construction material rather than a treat. This recipe, on the contrary, is purely for eating. plus more for greasing • 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar • 2 large eggs • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated • 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped • 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp baking soda • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon • 1/2 tsp ground cloves • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
directions
1. Heat oven to 350 F. 2. Grease a loaf pan with canola oil.
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3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1/2 cup canola oil, molasses, brown sugar, eggs, ginger, and cranberries. In a separate bowl, sift and combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until blended. 4. Scrape batter into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. 5. Transfer to a rack, let cool for 20 minutes, slice, and serve.
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