Advice for A Dazzling And Safe Light Display

Tip No. 1 from the Ulta-Lit holiday hotline: Don't call from your roof.

It's happened more than once to the lighting professionals at 888-ULTA-LIT, who are there to give advice on repairing indoor and outdoor holiday lights, pre-lit trees, wire-framed yard art and other seasonal hazards.

"Once I got a call from a man who was on his roof trying to talk to me on his cordless phone. It was frustrating because he was out of range," said John DeCosmo, the company's president. "I also had a call from a woman who was the go-between for me and her husband, who was on their chimney."

The hotline was started 12 years ago. According to Silent Call Communications, a company that sells safety products, at least 8,700 people a year are injured by holiday lights, decorations and Christmas trees.

Here are a few pointers from HomeTips.com for hanging Christmas lights:

Use light strings that have a male plug at one end and a female receptacle at the other end, and plug them together from end to end. This makes them easier to route.

In the case of mini lights, short, 50-light strings are often a better bet than 100-, 150, or 200-light strings because you can easily unplug and replace a defective string.

For outdoor lights, choose lights that are UL-approved.

Indoor lights should be used only indoors.