Every year people do silly things while they are decorating their windows for Christmas. They climb on unsafe objects to reach high places, they put candles in places that they shouldn’t be, and they try to attach decorations to windows in some very creative ways. Unfortunately, these silly things can lead to injuries and irreversible window damage.

So to keep yourself and your windows in good shape this year, keep these decorating tips handy.Outside Window Decorating

• Use a stable ladder to hang decorations on the outside of your home; don’t climb on anything that’s present or available.
• Attach decorations to the siding of your home and not to the windows themselves.

Inside Window Safety

• Never place lit candles on the sash, sill or edge of a window.
• If you must use a chair to hang something in a place you can’t reach, use one with stable legs. Never use a chair with wheels, even if it has locking wheels.
• Your windows still need to be able to open in the case of an emergency, so decorate accordingly.
• While real pine branches look great in a window and smell wonderful, they also leak sap. Sap is very hard to clean up and can leave you with a difficult post-Christmas mess. Buy fake pine branches instead.

Hanging Inside Window Decorations

• Use the curtain rods that you already have in place as much as you can to hang decorations in the window from.
• Use suction cup hooks to hang items in the window. This will cut down the damage caused by staples, nails, and screws. Suction cup hooks are also more stable and easier to remove from the glass than tape.
• Fake snow is fun to use, but before you start spraying, cover up the areas around the window that isn’t glass. This will save you the hassle of a messy clean up and will prevent the fake snow from drying in places it shouldn’t be and making it hard to actually use your window during the holidays.

Christmas is so much fun to decorate for, but it is also important for you to stay safe at the same time. So keep these tips in mind, and you and your windows will make it through just fine.