For many of us, taking up the RV lifestyle is the end to holiday decorations. I have to admit I was never much of a decorator when it came to holidays to begin with. I gave away nearly all my Christmas decorations. I have one small box left of a few small favorites, and since 1992 when we hit the road, I think I've had them out two or three times tops.
However, RVers who travel with children or have kids around for the holidays may still decorate. And, some people just love to decorate for the season even if they don't have children, especially if they are parked.
If your decorations include candles, be especially careful. A news article at News4Jax in Jacksonville tells about two RV fires in the past two months caused by candles. The most recent fire was caused by a candle in the bathroom. The woman went back to sleep on the couch and when she awoke, saw smoke. See the photos at the scene: the RV was totaled. She had no electricity so perhaps the candle was used for lighting the area. I can't imagine where she would place it to cause a fire in an RV bathroom, but I guess it is possible. Perhaps it was near a towel.
This woman didn't have her candles in a decoration, but this incident underscores the danger of using candles in a small place, especially unattended. RVers are fortunate that even if they are plugged in, their 12-volt system will keep their lights on for a while so they rarely have to resort to candles for light. Or, they might have a generator to power their system.
If you do use candles in your RV lifestyle, for decorating or for a romantic dinner, be careful. Don't leave them unattended for even a few minutes. Disaster could be the result. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
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