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Are your Christmas stockings hung on the fireplace mantel with care?
 In the famous Christmas poem, the stockings
were not just "hung by the chimney;" they were hung "with care." Even in the midst of describing a nocturnal visit from Santa, the author noted one important aspect of
Christmas fireplace safety!
Below are some essential Christmas fireplace safety issues to keep in mind during the holidays:
- Yes, you can hang the Christmas stockings from
 the fireplace mantel…but only when there is no fire in the fireplace. Plan on
arranging safe places you can move the stockings to when you want to light your fireplace. Some people move the stockings to small hooks concealed on a
stairway banister, on a room divider, on a book case, on the molding around an archway between two rooms, or on the inside doors of the television armoire.
- Place Christmas trees safely away from the fireplace. No one wants a forest fire, even if it is a solo tree fire, to ruin the
holiday spirit!
- Christmas presents, too, need to be kept at a safe
 distance from a burning fire. That wrapping  paper can go up in flames quickly! Fireplace Gift Baskets are delightful holiday gifts and add a festive charm
to the hearth, but because they contain fire starters such as pine cone starters and fatwood fire starters, you will certainly want to keep them not too close to the actual fire.
- When decorating your fireplace mantel for Christmas, keep combustible
material such as holiday greenery and ribbons safely on the fireplace mantel, not draping over the edge of the mantel. A stray
 fireplace spark can ignite
holiday decorations exposed over the fireplace mantel's edge unless your fireplace screen is a spark guard.
Fireplace spark guards (also know as spark arresters) are
a type of fireplace screen specifically designed to prevent this. Providing more spark protection for your room than most fireplace
screens, the top of spark guards' screens curve up and seal against the fireplace surround. These spark guard fireplace screens protect your home
from sparks that might try to shoot up and out of the fire.
- Candles add a lovely touch to Christmas firepla
 ce mantel decorations. To
protect your mantel decorations from their flames, use only candles with glass protection around the flames.  Votive candles and jar candles shield their surroundings from the flames. For
other candles, consider using hurricane candle shades, available from craft stores, to safeguard your mantel decorations from candle flames.
- Young children and pets are charmed by the flickering
 flames and warmth of
a fireplace fire. Fireplace safety gates (as seen at right) and fireplace child guard screens (such as the one at left) are designed to keep
two-footed as well as four-footed little ones at a safe distance from fireplaces and wood stoves. The safety gates have the advantage of allowing
adults easy access to the fireplace for tending the fire.
The winter holidays, with family, friends, and home taking center stage, are a time
of heavy fireplace use. Keep your hearth both merry and safe by following these simple but important Christmas fireplace safety policies.
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