You may think you know all about safe decorating, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission asks you to take this refresher course.

First, before crawling up on the roof to string the Christmas lights, you should know that every year, hospital emergency rooms treat about 12,500 people for injuries, such as falls, cuts and shocks related to holiday decorating.                            

* Candles: They start about 11,600 fires each year, causing hundreds of injuries and deaths. Always keep burning candles in sight and put them out before leaving a room or going to bed.

* Trees: When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label "Fire Resistant." It indicates that the tree will resist burning and any fire should extinguish quickly. When purchasing a live tree, check to see if it's green, needles are hard to pull off and they don't break when bent. Christmas trees cause 300 fires annually and $10 million in damage.

* Setting up a tree: Place it away from fireplaces and radiators. Place the tree away from foot traffic and don't block doorways.

* Lights: Use only lights that are approved by a testing laboratory and that have fused plugs. Discard any set that has broken or cracked sockets, frayed wires, or loose connections. Always replace any burned-out bulb with a bulb of the same wattage.

* Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord. Make sure the extension cord is rated for the intended use. Multiple cords should be plugged into a power strip that has a circuit breaker.

* Outdoor lights: Be sure they are certified for outdoor use. Fasten them to trees or other firm supports to protect them from wind damage. Use insulated staples. Or run strings of lights through hooks, which can be left up for next year's decorating. Turn them off when you go to bed or leave the house.

* Outdoor electric lights and decorations should be plugged into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable outdoor GFCIs can be purchased where electrical supplies are sold.