1. Keep candles and matches away from low tables and decorations. Make sure they are all blown out prior to going to sleep.
2. Keep all alcohol off of coffee and end tables while children are awake.
3. Keep all nuts, candies and any chokable food off out of arm's reach from children.
4. If you have a live Christmas tree in your home, make sure you are maintaining the tree. Prune the bottom of tree from all sharp protruding branches. You should be watering your tree daily to keep it hydrated and to keep it from getting dry and brittle. Remove all small ornaments from the tree if you anticipate small children in your home. It's best not to rely on placing them all at the top of the tree as that will make the tree top heavy and give it a better chance to fall over. Instead of overloading your outlets with lights, use a high quality powerstrip with a built in surge protector and make sure lights are unplugged before going to bed.
5. Be proactive! Send a "heads up" email to all invited guests about these dangers and ask for their help in ensuring a safe and happy party. Alert all guests as you greet them at the front door that there are small children in the house and to be aware of potential hazards. Placing small but noticeable post-it notes around the areas of potential danger will also act as a constant reminder and ensure that accidents will less likely happen. People are drinking at these parties and once alcohol is consumed the rules you discussed earlier in the night will be forgotten by a few people for sure so these constant reminders could be the difference between a jolly good time and a preventable catastrophy.
6. Make sure that you are mindful of these "danger zones" throughout the night. Put someone in charge of checking the areas at times throughout the day to make sure that they are up to the correct safety standards for having children around.
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