Decorating for the holidays safely

Today's weather was great for putting up holiday decorations.

But this may not be a job for everyone.

That's because every year, tens-of-thousands of people are sent to the emergency room with decorating-related injuries.

The biggest risk is from falls - especially from ladders, or from the roof.

Some injuries are sprains or broken bones, but head and spine injuries are also common too.

Doctors say you should stay off the roof - leave that for Santa's sleigh on Christmas eve!

And avoid ladders if you can.

"If you need to climb on a ladder, be very careful and have someone spot you. There's a lot of adaptive equipment nowadays, to hang things on gutters and up high - I recommend that you use those to avoid being on the ladder,' says Dr. Thomas Waters, an emergency room doctor at the Cleveland Clinic.

One more caution: inspect the electrical cords on your lights, and extension cords before using them.

Be sure you don't overload any circuits. That's a major cause of fires every holiday season