Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I'm sure many of you are preparing to celebrate the holiday with family and friends and perhaps wait in line for the after-Thanksgiving sales.

Unfortunately, insurance claims are more common during the holidays. Let's start with a few facts:

Over 500 fires from deep frying a turkey have been reported, causing over $6,800,000 in property damage. Click here for safety tips for frying a turkey.

An insurance company is seeking $1,800,000 in damages from Hallmark after a poorly made snow globe acted as a magnifying glass for light from the sun and engulfed a Petoskey family’s home in flames.

According to the National Fire Prevention Association, in the average 260 Christmas tree fires every year, about 14 people die and 26 are injured. The fires cause about $13,800,000 in property damage annually as well.

Here are some of the common causes of loss during the holidays:

• Gifts stolen
• Decorations stolen
• Slip and falls
• Candle Fires – cats, children, long or hairsprayed hair
• Christmas tree fires
• Fireplace not properly maintained
• Deep frying turkey
• Smoke damage from cooking

Between fires started by candles (cats, children, long hair, etc), or Christmas trees, a deep fried turkey, or even a snow globe, holiday festivities can turn dangerous quickly.

To illustrate, I'm going to tell you the story of Christmas. Well, not the original one, but how a modern Christmas often goes.

You begin your holiday shopping. The car is filled with gifts, and the thieves are drooling. Did you know stolen gifts are NOT covered under your car insurance?

So you made it home safely and your gifts are in tact. It’s Christmas Eve and you travel to your in-laws. There’s your lovely home, empty for hours! Come right on in, burglars.

Maybe you have company over instead—what if cousin Joe slips on the ice, or falls off a ladder helping you decorate and breaks an ankle? That’s a liability claim on your homeowner’s policy.

Your home is decked to the nines—candles glowing, tree all lit up—it’s a playground for your cat! Let’s see if he knocks one over or sets his tail on fire. Better yet, maybe he can climb the tree and fall INTO a candle! Two for one.

Or maybe cousin Betty’s aero-soled helmet hair gets within an inch of one of your lovely candles—POOF! Up in flames.

As you run into the living room to put out the cat/tree/Betty’s head, you forget about the pie in the oven. The kitchen fills with smoke, ruining your curtains with smoke damage and maybe now you have 2 fires going! Hey, the fire department is already coming, may as well make them earn their money!

Then there’s the illustrious deep fried turkey. Quick, juicy, and a family favorite. Shockingly, fire loves the gallons of fuel and open flame! Maybe you can ask the cat for help.

So, friends, the moral of the story here is to be careful! Keep your driveway, sidewalks, and steps ice-free, place candles thoughtfully (or go flameless), keep your tree watered or buy artificial, and use extreme caution when deep frying anything.

Because accidents clearly happen, even to careful people, make sure your insurance policies have adequate coverage for your property and liability. If you’re skating by with cheap insurance, you could be paying big, for a long time, when someone is injured or you experience property loss.

Visit this link for a quick video recap: click here.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Have a question for Emily? Email her at emilyh@lymansheets.com, or follow her on Twitter @AgentEmilyHarte, find her on Facebook, and connect with her on LinkedIn.