10 Safety Tips for Turkey Day

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving for those of us in the US.  It used to be a harvest festival, now the festivities center around football, a parade, and food.  For those of you participating, here's ten safety tips to help make the holiday happier:

1. If you are deep frying a turkey in a non-commercial deep fryer, BE CAREFUL!  Those fryers are dangerous and can be a fire hazard (not to mention a serious burn hazard).
2. If you are having guests to your home for the holiday, lock up anything that may be too tempting to resist (whether the person is three years old or 30). This includes firearms, prescription medications, money, etc.
3. If you are participating in the Black Friday sales (which curiously begins on Thanksgiving Thursday) be careful in the crowd.  People are crazy these days and will think nothing of trampling you to save a few dollars on a TV or video game.
4. Reduce the amount of alcohol served.  Domestic violence calls shoot up on the holidays due mostly to the copious amount of alcohol served.  Alcohol makes people crazy, crazy people can be unpredictable and dangerous.
5. Keep an eye on the kids.  When your focus is on cooking, watching football, and chatting with your guests, kids can be overlooked (and they love it when this happens as it means they can get away with a lot more because no one is watching).  So watch them.
6. The holidays can also bring out the worst in those who suffer from depression or PTSD.  Keep these folks in mind, let them know you care about them, but also give them their space and don't "force" them to be festive.
7. Put your pets away.  I know, to some people it sounds like I am saying lock your children in their room for the holiday, but when there are a lot of new people around and a lot of activity, it can make pets stressed.  Some may be better off in a quiet room.  This also keeps them from being underfoot in the kitchen and away from curious children that they may not be comfortable around.
8. Be prepared for a medical emergency.  During the holiday you may have elderly guests and children running around as well as a hefty amount of cooking going on.  All of this can increase the likelihood of  an illness or accident so know how to do CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver, have a first aid kit, know basic first aid (like how to stop bleeding), and call 911 if you have a life-threatening emergency.
9. If you are traveling for the holiday, take care.  Drive early, don't drink and drive, don't speed just to get to your destination a bit faster, etc.
10. After your guests leave, do a safety check even if you don't intend to clean up right away.  Make sure candles and smoking material have been extinguished, make sure all windows and doors are locked (a guest may have opened a window for some air and forgot to close it), toss out the alcoholic drinks if you have kids in your home, etc.