Tips for healthy and safe holidays!
DECEMBER 8, 2021 (Updated November 19, 2024)
The Holiday season is a wonderful time of festivities, traditions, and magic. It is a particularly busy period during which we engage in a variety of activities. In this article, we present the benefits of traditional activities of this festive month. We also offer you some tips to celebrate while taking care of your health and safety.
Rituals that are good for you
Let yourself go, set up your decorations, bring out the tree, have fun adorning it with lights and beautiful ornaments, then watch it light up your home and your smile. This touch of magic in your home can make you happier and give your heart a little break.
This activity helps to overshadow stress and daily responsibilities by immersing you in a feeling of joy linked to childhood. This reduction in your stress and anxiety levels is beneficial for your heart health. Indeed, when you are tense, your heart works harder and your heart rate is faster. It is therefore good to reduce them, to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.
It's even better if you do it while singing and dancing! Belting out a tune boosts antibody levels and swaying improves blood circulation.
Holiday cinema generally conveys a message of hope and is characterized by its positivity and nostalgia. These heartwarming films and series can offer a feeling of comfort, improve mood, and reduce stress. By making us laugh, comedies, such as The Grinch, lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, and reduce stress.
Dinners and activities with family and friends bring various benefits for mental health and the heart.
Having positive interactions and maintaining quality social connections promotes better cognitive function and helps reduce the wear and tear on the body and brain caused by stress. During activities with friends and family, we are more inclined to laugh. Yet, laughter can increase the volume of blood released by the heart and dilate blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure. In addition, laughter reduces stress and promotes sleep and overall well-being.
Put on your snow pants and go out to stock up on vitamin D!
Playing outside, for example by building snowmen, sledding, skating, or going snowshoeing, helps to counter vitamin D deficiencies due to the lack of daylight. This vitamin intake helps reduce the risks of osteoporosis, heart disease, and depression.
In short, in addition to being fun, a minimum of 15 minutes of outdoor activity per day allows you to expend energy, improve your blood circulation, and stock up on vitamin D. It is therefore excellent for bone, heart, and mental health.
SAFE FESTIVITIES
A tree falling on your head, a fragment of a broken ornament underfoot... what better way to ruin the mood. During this particularly hectic time, the risks of accidents and injuries multiply. Here are some risks to avoid and how to prevent them.
During holiday shopping, as you race down the aisles to choose pretty gifts for your children, grandchildren, or any other young people dear to you, your choice may fall on electronic toys or musical greeting cards and books.
Be careful, some of these toys carry a significant risk: button batteries. If swallowed, the small batteries they contain can cause burns to the esophagus, trachea, and main artery. Injuries that can unfortunately quickly become fatal.
To prevent this type of incident:
• Prioritize the purchase of toys whose battery compartment is secured with screws. • Do not change the batteries of a device in front of your child. • Store the batteries in an unreachable place. • If your child accidentally swallows a button battery, do not make them vomit, drink, or eat. Go immediately to the emergency room.
Your tree stands proudly in your living room, ready to brighten your days, but is it properly installed?
The scenario of the tree falling on a family member or guest is not unlikely and certainly not harmless. A natural tree alone can weigh about 15 kilos. With the lights, garlands, and ornaments, the weight increases and the risk of injury if it falls on someone increases.
To prevent this type of incident:
• Secure it on a tripod heavy enough that it does not wobble. • Install it in a place where it is not at risk of being in the way. • If you have animals that tend to climb on it, an artificial tree, lighter (~3 kilos) would be more prudent. • An artificial tree is also less likely to affect the health of your animals. The needles of a natural tree can irritate their mouth and stomach.
30 seconds, that's the short delay to react before a natural tree is entirely consumed by flames. A fire can also start due to candles left unattended, an electrical overload, or gifts and decorations placed too close to a heat source.
To prevent this type of incident:
• Make sure that each detector in your home is working properly. • Make sure you have what you need in case of fire, such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets. • Regularly check your extinguishers to ensure they are not expired and are fully charged. • Follow the instructions on the packaging of the lights. • Plug your decorations into power bars equipped with surge protection. Nevertheless, avoid overloading them. • Water your natural tree every day. • Make sure you never place the tree, gifts, and any flammable decoration near a heat source. • Consider using flameless LED candles instead of traditional wax candles. • If you light wax candles, place them far from anything that can burn and never leave them unattended.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, between 2020 and 2021, more than 40,000 Quebecers ended up in the emergency room due to an accidental fall. Yet many of these emergency room visits were caused by a fall from a ladder or a trip.
To prevent this type of incident:
• If you climb a ladder to install decorations, ask someone to watch and hold it. • Stand facing the ladder, keep your body centered, and maintain three points of contact (either two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand). • Make sure that electrical wires and decorations do not obstruct the path.
Of course, this type of accident generally only causes minor injuries, such as cuts. However, if ingested by a child or animal, a broken ornament fragment can also cause much more serious damage.
To prevent this type of incident:
• Secure the tree well. • Opt for unbreakable ornaments. • Hang them with string rather than a hook so they hold better. • If you have fragile ornaments, place them out of reach and tie them securely.
Holly, mistletoe, and poinsettia are popular decorative plants during the holiday season. However, they are also toxic. If ingested, they can cause more or less serious symptoms depending on the amount consumed. Specifically:
Holly berries In small quantities (1 or 2 berries) they will cause minor digestive disorders. In larger quantities, they can cause vomiting, significant salivation, diarrhea, and seizures. These berries will also cause significant digestive disorders in pets, as well as neurological disorders, such as drowsiness or coma.
Mistletoe In small quantities, it will not necessarily cause symptoms, it may cause minor digestive disorders (e.g., diarrhea and vomiting). However, in larger quantities, ingestion of mistletoe leaves and berries can cause serious cardiac symptoms (e.g., drop in blood pressure and heart rhythm disorders). This plant is toxic, even fatal, in pets and in grazing herbivores (cows, sheep, horses, etc.)
Poinsettia It can cause minor digestive disorders in children. However, the symptoms are more serious in pets (digestive disorders, excessive salivation, etc.)
To prevent this type of incident:
• Opt for artificial plants • If you prefer natural plants, make sure to keep them out of reach of children and animals.
Festive and trouble-free evenings
Whether you are the party host or a guest, certain precautions should be taken to ensure that you only have beautiful memories of these celebrations with your loved ones. Here are some tips so that your festivities do not end at the hospital.
Make sure the space is clear of any object likely to make a guest trip. For example, store boots and coats in a sensible place, out of the way (e.g., bathtub or closet). Otherwise, in the excitement and bustle of the evening, a child, a grandparent, or a slightly tipsy guest could trip and get hurt.
The same goes, of course, for curious little snouts.
Make sure that children and pets are well supervised at all times. With the excitement of the party, it can be easy for a child or animal to get hurt or ingest something they shouldn't have. For example, a small toy, a button battery, or a small decoration can cause choking and, depending on the item ingested, relatively serious internal damage.
In addition, if a child accidentally consumes alcohol, even in small quantities, the consequences can be very serious, even fatal. This can quickly cause their blood sugar level to drop. Hypoglycemia can cause seizures and coma, because the brain does not receive enough glucose. If blood sugar drops too low, the result can be fatal.
In short, make sure that alcoholic drinks are kept out of their reach. In case of accidental ingestion, call your regional Poison Control Center if in doubt or go to the emergency room if there is a risk of alcohol poisoning.
An overcrowded kitchen can become the cause of easily preventable accidents, such as burns, cuts, or a foot crushed by a fallen dish. Despite their good will to help, it is important to ensure that guests clearly understand that access to the kitchen is restricted to those responsible for the meal.
Of course, this does not mean leaving the kitchen unattended during meal preparation. If you are in charge, it can be difficult to juggle meal preparation, the role of host, and entertainment. Make sure there is always someone to help you in the kitchen.
Of course, an accident is an unpredictable event that can occur despite all precautions taken. Make sure you have on hand a first aid kit containing everything necessary in case of injury. If you have guests with allergies, check that they have an epinephrine auto-injector (e.g., EpiPen) in their possession or obtain one to keep in your kit.
First aid
The best way to celebrate with peace of mind is to be able to intervene if an incident occurs. Learning the basics of first aid is a few hours of your time that could make all the difference. Don't wait to be caught off guard, learn what to do in case of injury today thanks to our online and self-paced course!
Written by Laurie Lévesque, content creator, and Émilie Bedard, communications manager.
Reviewed, illustrated, and laid out by Émilie Bedard.
• Agence France-Presse. 2020. « Plantes décoratives de Noël : Attention poison ! ». La Presse. www.lapresse.ca/noel/2020-12-15/plantes-decoratives-de-noel-attention-poison.php
• Allard, S. 2012. « 10 bonnes raisons de célébrer Noël ». La Presse. www.lapresse.ca/vivre/sante/201212/21/01-4606168-10-bonnes-raisons-de-celebrer-noel.php
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• Ville de Gatineau. 2023. « Conseils de sécurité pour le temps des fêtes ». www.gatineau.ca/portail/default.aspx?p=guichet_municipal/pompiers/prevention/conseils_securite_temps_fetes