Tis’ the season to trim the Christmas tree, decorate the house, and now, more than ever, rush to the nearest urgent care!

Holiday-related injuries were on the rise last year and people of all ages are expected to jam medical centers again this season.

According to Doctors Express, the leading cause of holiday injuries: Falling from ladders while stringing lights and cutting yourself with ornaments.

Top five holiday-related injuries:

1. Holiday decorations - More than 13,000 people were treated in ERs during the 2010 holiday season alone (latest research available). That’s up from 12,000 in 2009.

2. Dangerous/malfunctioning toys or “Wrap Rage” – 
 More than 250,000 people were treated in emergency rooms due to toy-related accidents in 2010 (according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission).
 About 181,500 children (younger than 15 years old) were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments due to toy-related injuries in 2010.
  “Wrap Rage” – Adults and kids become so frustrated with that hard plastic around toys and electronics that they cut themselves when they try to tear it open. The cuts come from scissors or other sharp tools used when prying the package open or really sharp edges on the packaging.  Some sources show it can take up to ten or more minutes to open one package creating “wrap rage” for sure!
 Research shows people suffer two times more injuries from trying to open packaging than injuries from skateboards or swimming pools (Census Bureau, 2001).
  An average of 6,000 people a year go to the emergency room due to packaging-related injuries.

3. Fires

4. Influenza

5. Car accidents

Prevention tips to avoid holiday injuries:

Immediately discard plastic wrappings or other packaging on toys before they become dangerous play things.

Or, to help prevent injuries, adults can open toys and install batteries BEFORE wrapping them and putting them under the tree.

Unlike what Mom or Dad taught us, kids don’t always have to share – be sure to keep toys appropriate for older children away from younger siblings.

Don’t feel pressured to allow your child to play with toys that are not approved for their age. If your child receives a toy that is not age appropriate, either return it, save it and put it under the tree another year, or donate that toy to a child in need (whose age is within the toy’s guidelines).

Charging batteries should be supervised by adults. Chargers and adapters can pose thermal burn hazards to young children. Also, some chargers lack any mechanism to prevent overcharging.