With Halloween coming up quickly the start of the holiday season is upon us. Cooking, decorating, and entertaining make the season fun for everyone, but in order to make sure that your home, your family, and your guests are safe during holiday parties, you must take steps to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

Halloween presents a special set of hazards given the large number of potentially flammable decorations, costumes, lighting, and more. And, trips, falls, dog bites, break-ins, and other kinds of mischief can all be a problem at Halloween. Homeowners should consider the following safety tips from the National Fire Prevention Association when entertaining in their homes, and when Trick-or-Treaters will be visiting.

• Make sure your property is well-lit to make it inviting—and safe—for guests, and to avoid trips and falls on your property.
• Remove obstructions from your yard and walkways, including garden hoses, rakes, toys, dog leashes, and so on.
• Remove jack-o-lanterns with lit candles out of walkways. Consider using battery-operated lights inside your carved pumpkins.
• Keep pets properly restrained.
• Use motion-sensing lights around your home.
• Keep doorways and exits free of obstacles to avoid blocking escape routes.
• Avoid costumes with long trailing fabric and flammable materials.
• Keep decorations made from paper, dried flowers, cornstalks, or anything flammable away from flames.
• Remind children about proper “stop, drop, and roll” procedures.
• Use flashlights as alternatives to candles or torches when decorating walkways and yards.
• Be a responsible host. Designate drivers and never serve alcohol to anyone under 21 years old.

Even a minor accident could ruin your party and lead to a pricey homeowner’s insurance claim. It is very important to take a variety of fire safety precautions when you entertain at Halloween and throughout the holidays. As Thanksgiving approaches, remember that according to the National Fire Prevention Association, Thanksgiving is one of the top three days for home fires every year.

The American Red Cross suggests the following fire safety tips to avoid fires while cooking and entertaining for the holidays.

• Test your smoke alarms before you have a large number of guests in your home.
• Stay home and keep an eye on any food that you are preparing. Use a kitchen timer to remind you that your stove or oven is on.
• Enforce a kid-free zone in the cooking area.
• Keep anything that can catch fire away from the stove, oven, or any appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
• Keep cooking surfaces clean to prevent grease buildup.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen at all times.

Have you started preparing for your Halloween or other holiday party yet? What extra precautions will you take? How do you ensure that your guests are safe in your home?