Now that we got your attention…before you grab your ladder and boxes of lights, review our list of do’s and don’ts for hanging holiday lighting strands safely. If installed incorrectly, your sparkling lights may lead to your electrical system being damaged or even cause a house fire.

DO:

Examine light before hanging: Throw away any holiday lighting sets with cracked or broken sockets, loose connections or frayed or bare wires. Replace burned-out bulbs promptly with bulbs of the same wattage.

Use appropriate lights for indicated areas: Each box of lights will indicate whether they’re meant for outdoor or indoor display.

Consider using LED over incandescent bulbs: LED lights are about 75 percent more efficient than conventional incandescent lights. This makes your electrical load more than seven times smaller, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

DON’T:

Power too many lights with the same outlet: Each standard circuit breaker is able to handle about 15 amps of current. However, when you add too many strings together, it is easy to overdraw power. This has the potential to cause some serious damage to your electrical wiring.

Never use staples, tacks or nails: They can damage the electrical wiring and cause frayed wires, which have the potential to shock or cause electrocution if mixed with water.

Connect LED and incandescent light strands: Simply because the power current that incandescent lights need is much larger of LED lights. So one connected to use the same current the LED string will burn out due to electrical overloaded.

We know strands of sparkling lights make your home feel merry and bright, especially on a gloomy December day but we implore you taking the recommended steps above to make it a safe and festive season.