The holiday season can be a time of enjoyment, especially if decorating, baking, shopping, and wrapping presents are gratifying to you. Besides feelings of happiness, there are also stressors to be cognizant of, and these come in many forms.

• Make sure to eat nutritious foods and get plenty of hydration. During the crunch of making sure that everything is complete, we sometimes forget about ourselves and ignore proper eating habits. Staying healthy is a priority.
  
• Lock your doors and windows when you leave your home. Don’t give the bad guys a free holiday celebration with the fruits of your hard-earned labor.
• Use an inexpensive light timer when you are away to activate lights inside your home at night. This will give the appearance that someone is home and burglars will generally stay away. 
• Ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail when you are away. When criminals “target” homes, uncollected mail is one of the signs that they look for. In addition, invest in a surveillance system for your front door area if you are having packages delivered while you are away.
• Do not pile up empty gift boxes from your new computers, flat panel televisions, DVD players, etc. in front of your home on garbage collection day.
• Do NOT post your activities (gifts or plans to be away from home) on social media pages.
• To prevent fires in your home, use nonflammable decorations, do not overload electrical sockets, water live Christmas trees regularly, and avoid the use of lit candles. Consider switching to LED lights because they are much cooler than incandescent bulbs, reducing the risk of fires.
• The holiday season is a time of celebration and revelry. Drinking and driving is a danger to everyone on the road. Anyone with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher is in violation of MN law and may go to jail. Remember that the risk isn't worth it—if you choose to drink alcohol at a party, don't drive. Take a cab, use public transportation, or assign a designated driver.
• The holidays are a time when many people get together in the same space, and the “closeness” may be overwhelming for some. Try to be patient with one another; if you know that you may conflict with someone, put your ego away and be tactful when interacting. There are many instances of domestic assault during the holidays for the very reasons that have been outlined. https://www.violencepreventioncenter.org/
• Another aspect to consider is that the holidays can be very mentally stressful for some people, and this can contribute to anxiety and depression. Please be kind to one another, make a point of reaching out to those whom you know may be having a difficult time, and don’t be afraid to call for help if you suspect that someone is not coping well. Be sure to consider your mental health and look for help if you feel that you need it.  

This is just a handful of safety pointers for your reference. There are many more online, and I would imagine that many of you have your own list that you adhere to. Have a wonderful holiday season, and blessings upon you all.

County Connections is a column on timely topics and service information from your Cook County government. Cook County – Supporting Community Through Quality Public Service.