So, Thanksgiving is behind us, and you’re excited about putting up your holiday decorations. Well, it’s my job to dampen your enthusiasm by telling you things that can go wrong.

Actually, the process of decorating is the most dangerous part. According to Underwriters Laboratories, every year about 164,000 ladder-related injuries turn up in emergency rooms, and many of them occur during the holidays.

Do you need a primer in ladder safety? Such as being told to use a wooden or fiberglass ladder if you are near power lines or electrical wiring? Remember Benjamin Franklin and that business about metal conducting electricity.

Just be sure you didn’t eat so much turkey that you exceed the ladder’s weight limit. And keep the kids off the ladder while you are on it.

The outdoor lights should be checked. Even new ones should be subjected to careful scrutiny for cracks, frays, bare wires or anything else that might cause an electric shock or fire.