3 Legal Tips for Christmas

With the holidays nearly here, many of us are getting into the spirit of the season. Putting up decorations, singing carols, and planning family dinners or Christmas parties are on many of our agendas. But while nobody likes to bring down the holiday cheer, it’s important to make sure that all of your Christmas festivities are safe and legal. Let’s take a look at three important legal tips that can keep your Christmas from running into legal problems. 

Safely Transporting Your Tree

One of the most important aspects of bringing Christmas cheer into your home is the tree. The debate between natural and artificial trees has adherents on both sides, but regardless of which tree you choose, getting it to your home can be a tricky process. 

We all know and love the image of a family station wagon with a tree on its roof, but driving with a tree on your car is rife with the potential for costly accidents. One of the most basic safety precautions that can be easy to overlook is securing the tree. If you have experience with proper roof rack lashing techniques, this can be done safely, but an improperly secured tree can land you in serious legal trouble—not to mention present a danger to others on the road. Similarly, it’s important to ensure that branches don’t obscure your windows, lights, or license plate. 

While it may not be as romantic as bringing home your handpicked tree, the safest option is leaving the tree hauling to professionals. Having your tree delivered ensures that you never have to worry about accidents and legal liability when transporting your tree. 

Keeping Your Decorations Fire-Safe

Once your tree is home, setting it up can be great fun. Ornaments, string lights, and decorative candles all play treasured roles in holiday homes. But failing to ensure that all electrical decorations are properly grounded can lead to very serious safety violations. Likewise, keeping all open flames supervised and away from children or pets — as well as a safe distance from flammable furniture, Christmas trees, and curtains — is absolutely essential. 

(This tip also applies to Hanukkah menorahs and anyone celebrating other holiday traditions that may involve flammable decorations.) 

Litter-Free Cleanup

When the time comes to put away the decorations, how you take things down is almost as important as how they went up. For instance, knowing your local tree disposal laws is a crucial part of safely and legally wrapping up the holidays. So be sure to check before carelessly dumping your Christmas tree or any other holiday remnants.

Enjoy Safe, Legal Holidays with LegalFix

Whether you’re planning the perfect holiday decor or want to learn about any other laws, LegalFix is your go-to source for free legal information. You can find helpful articles and use the free search and information tools to better understand the state and federal laws that affect you. Just visit LegalFix.com to find all this content — and check back often for more valuable legal products and services coming soon.