Feature in association with Electrical Safety First
The tree/house combo I wish was mine
My daughter Bee and my grandson Joey put up their Christmas tree last week. It looks beautiful but, unlike a lot of trees, it has no lights. When I first heard they weren’t having lights I thought they were being a bit over cautious and scrooge-like about the whole thing – is it even Christmas if you’re not watching a cheesy Christmas film and slurping sherry by the light of the Christmas tree?
(Side note: If you like your Christmas films old school then I recommend the 2008 Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn as an underrated Christmas classic.)
But then Joey’s dad told me about all the firefighters he works with and the number of fires they get called out to where Christmas trees have caught fire and caused huge amounts of damage in literally seconds.
Okay, fine. Not so scrooge maybe.
As unfestive as it may seem, the reality is that we all probably own some kind of piece of electrical equipment that poses a threat and at Christmas especially the risks are higher than ever as we’re all busy buying gifts online. Any kind of electrical item bought through a third party seller could be an accident waiting to happen, including Christmas lights, phone chargers, hairdryers – anything that’s powered by electricity.
So what’s the risk? Surely all electrical equipment has to be safe to be sold? Actually no. While you can go into a traditional high street retailer and feel confident that you’re buying the real deal, online marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon and Wish are not bound by the same laws when it comes to safety. This means you could be buying fakes, or products with sub-standard or counterfeit parts and have no real way of knowing for sure.
Here’s a quick video that explains the problem:
Sign the petition and help save lives
Electrical Safety First is a campaigning charity that aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by electricity in UK homes. This includes working with the government, manufacturers and retailers to improve safety standards and tighten regulation.
This Christmas they are running a campaign called ‘Don’t Be Electricked’, (see what they did there?), to raise awareness of the dangers of buying electrical goods through third party sellers. They are asking you to please sign their petition calling for the same safety standards to be applied to anyone selling electrical products, whether it’s a traditional retailer or an online marketplace.
Signing the petition will help to protect consumers, just like you, from harm. Simply taking a minute to add your name to the list could potentially help to save lives, so why wouldn’t you? It’s a no-brainer. Then just make sure you know exactly where all your electricals are from this Christmas, crack open the sherry and get the new made-for-Netflix Lindsay Lohan Christmas film on. You won’t be disappointed.*
Have a safe and happy Christmas!
*Vanity Fair says ‘Lindsay Lohan’s Christmas Movie Is Actually Medium-Okay‘ but I think that’s pushing it. Still an absolute must watch though.