Yes, the festive season is a time for singing, laughter, merriment, and seeing family members you don’t really get along with. It’s also a time for mince pies and relaxing with your favourite online casino games in front of the fire. Though, unbeknownst to most, it is also a time of many injuries.
It turns out that the festive season is a period where injury potential spikes, with more people landing up at the doctor or I the emergency room than you might think. Though, these are also not your usual, everyday ouches. Clearly Christmas comes with a set of risks that are unique to the season.
So, take it from us; you’ll want to know where the risks are, and how best to avoid them. Take a look at our cautionary list of the most common, but also weirdest, injuries that are associated with the festive season.
Burning And Zapping Horrors
You probably saw this coming, but it is also no laughing matter. Burns, electric shocks and decoration related injuries are by far the most common sustained during Christmas. It turns out that, shockingly, all those blinking lights come with a few risks. Yes, tree lights are safer than they ever have been, with many precautions taken. But some hapless people are still unlucky enough to get shocked. We don’t know why we even have to say it, but be careful when setting up lights. Check for frays before you plug them in, and switch them off when you go to bed.
In Sweden, it turns out that many still prefer candles to electric lights. So, unpleasantly, between 1971 and 2012 a total of 28 Swiss merrymakers have suffered serious burns. Four have even died.
Decorations, glass, or hard plastic, can cause pretty serious injuries. Especially where children are concerned. Be careful and don’t let your child eat a small glass angel, the consequences as you can imagine, will not add to the festive season fun.
Festive Bar Brawls
We know this will come as a surprise, but it turns out that when people get together in big groups and drink a great deal, assaults are more common by far. A study in the UK found that there is a massive spike of assault cases during the festive season. That isn’t very Christmassy information to share, but there you have it. We suspect this has to do with those family members who secretly don’t like each other, but have to get along with anyway.
The Weirdest And Worst
Now that we’ve got the serious stuff out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the weirdest real injuries that have been reported.
A 36-year-old man, horrifyingly, managed to swallow an entire drawing pin. He was hanging up his decorations, had the drawing pin between his teeth, and realised he had to sneeze. You can probably figure out the rest. In all seriousness, ouch. But on the other hand, that scene absolutely belongs in a Christmas comedy.
A little four-year-old girl managed to get small metal bell stuck in her ear. She explained that she had wanted to hear jingle bells, and decided putting the bell in her ear was the best way to make this happen. We can’t fault her logic.
A 66-year-old man, and he is our favourite by the way, called for an ambulance due to being too dizzy. Apparently he was hanging up decorations outside, only for the wind to pick up unexpectedly. He was sent spinning around, realised he had got dizzy, and immediately called for medical assistance. We feel his pain.
A woman aged 64 had a run in with a wooden Santa, and he won. The lady called for assistance after her four foot wooden Santa fell on her, and she hurt her foot. We struggle to visualise a scenario in which this might happen, but also know that decorations conspire to injure those who handle them. So, we respect that the lady probably came out second best in that age-old battle.
Lastly we have a 50 year old lady who suffered the worst sort of injury possible; rectum trauma. Sadly, this one does make you grimace more than laugh. The lady was reportedly standing on a chair hanging up decorations, when the chair slipped from under her. The poor ladies rear end broke the fall, but also suffered for the privilege, making contact with a branch and resulting in injury. We don’t want to draw conclusions, but if what happened is what we’re thinking happened, we grimace in agony on her behalf
