Christmas morning in many homes means unwrapping gifts in front of a cozy fireplace. And every year, local fire departments across the country warn people not to toss all that wrapping paper into the flames, for very good reason: It might start a serious chimney fire.

Still, some people do it. And if they do, they might see strange colors in the flames, like blue and green.

“Just think about fireworks,” says Sidney Katz, a chemist who is just starting his retirement after a long career at Rutgers University. He explains that when people watch fireworks on the Fourth of July, “the colored pyrotechnics are different chemical compounds at high temperature.”

Something similar can happen in a fireplace if people burn colored gift wrap. Some metals found in certain ink pigments will react with heat. Barium-based pigments are used in some red ink, for example, and when burned could produce a green flame.

About three decades ago, Katz made news during the holiday season because he had bought a bunch of gift wrap, tested it in the lab, and found high levels of toxic metal. He says back then, yellow pigment was often lead chromate.

“My concern was what you do with Christmas wrapping papers,” says Katz, noting that “if you burn it, you create airborne particulates which are inhaled.”

Or, he says, young children might even chew on the stuff.

Over the years, Katz says, U.S. manufacturers have switched to safer, alternative pigments. “If it’s made by Hallmark and it’s made with American pigments, it’s probably OK,” he says. But he adds that it would be impossible for a consumer to look at gift wrap made overseas and know what pigments are in it.

Gary Jones is director of environmental, health and safety affairs for a trade group called Printing Industries of America. He says today’s printing ink does use safe pigments, but when something is burned, it can change.

“You know, you’re not dealing with a pigment at that point — you’re looking at what happened as a result of burning a pigment, or burning a metal,” Jones says. He says you would not want to breathe that smoke, or really any smoke at all.

Neal Langerman agrees that breathing any kind of smoke is generally a bad idea. He runs a consulting firm called Advanced Chemical Safety in San Diego. Still, he didn’t seem too concerned about the whole wrapping-paper-in-the-fireplace scenario.

“I’ll bet I’ve tossed a crumbled up gift-wrap paper ball in a fire on a holiday on occasion,” Langerman says, adding that it’s nothing to worry about. He says a fireplace ensures that smoke really doesn’t come into the room and produce any meaningful exposure. Instead, it goes up the chimney.

But beware: Burning pieces of paper could also float up the chimney and start a fire. So experts say the safest thing to do is throw out that holiday paper, or recycle it

When you put up Christmas lights this season – or holiday lights during any season – be sure to follow these Christmas light safety tips.

 
• Choose Christmas lights that have been tested and deemed safe by a reputable testing laboratory, the best are UL or ETL. Christmas lights listed as safe by these laboratories will note that on the packaging. 
• Try to use the cooler-burning “mini” Christmas lights as opposed to the traditional larger bulbs. The older style burns much hotter. 
• Only use Christmas lights that have fuses in the plugs. 
• Inspect each set of Christmas lights – old or new – for damage. Return or throw out any set with cracked or broken sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. 
• Replace burned out bulbs promptly with bulbs of the same wattage. 
• Never hang Christmas lights on a metal tree. The tree can become charged with electricity and shock someone. The tree can also short out the Christmas lights and cause a fire. 
• Want Christmas lights outdoors? Use outdoor Christmas lights. The packaging will note whether the lights can be used indoors, outdoors, or both. 
• All outdoor electrical decorations should be plugged into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). You can buy portable units for outdoor use, or you can have them permanently installed by an electrician. 
• Use extension cords properly. Outdoor cords can be used inside or outside. Do not overload extension cords – they can get hot enough to burn. 
• Stay away from powerlines or feeder lines (these go from the pole to the house). 
• Secure outside Christmas lights with insulated holders (never use tacks or nails) or run strings of lights through hooks. 
• When you leave or go to bed at night, turn off your Christmas lights. 
• Never pull on a string of Christmas lights, it stresses the cords and can lead to fraying. Store Christmas lights loosely wrapped for the same reason.

 

You use the Internet to find good airfares and you seek out the best room rates for each night of your trip.

Do you give car rentals the same attention?

Many travelers operate under the misconception that car rental rates are all about the same, and that shopping is a waste of time. But rates do vary–sometimes by quite a bit–between companies and destinations.

Another truth: car rental companies reward people who make life easy for them and penalize those who don’t know the ropes. Here are five tips, in no particular order, for lowering your car rental expenses.

Beware of hidden fees and extras.

If the rental company has to top-off the gas tank after your return, you will pay a ridiculous price per gallon. Always ask that the car be filled up prior to your departure, and then bring it back full of gas.

There are plenty of other additional charges that can take a nice rate to an ordinary deal very quickly. A weekly rate of $125 showed up recently for a compact rental out of San Antonio International Airport. That’s about $18/day. Not bad.

Go to the reservation page, and you learn that taxes and fees add more than $50. There’s 10% sales tax, something called a vehicle license fee of nearly $19 and an “arena fee” of $7.19. Now I’m paying more than $25/day. Keep that in mind when you see rates under $20/day advertised.

Airport rentals are best avoided.

In that previous example, there was also an $11.51 “airport fee.” It’s often very convenient to rent a car at the airport, but keep in mind that you’ll pay for the privilege. If you’re on a business trip, many times you can rent a car from your downtown hotel. If you can conveniently arrange a hotel shuttle or public transportation from airport to front desk, chances are good you’ll save money taking delivery off the airport grounds.

Decline the insurance.

Most travelers know this one, but there is a lot of pressure to change minds at the rental counter. Companies make big profits from insurance fees. Some clerks are trained to create as much anxiety as possible for people who decline it.

They’ll tell you their insurance closes expensive loopholes, which may or may not be true in your case. They’ll tell you stories about how a customer’s auto insurance or credit card failed to cover damages during a recent accident.

There may be truth in the stories, but the odds are slim that you’ll need any of this coverage. It is very likely, however, that your auto insurance policy at home covers rentals as well. Call your agent to verify it.

Also check with your credit card company to see if using the card to pay for a rental provides collision coverage. In many cases, you’ll find it a positive response.

In smaller offices, reserve the smallest car possible.

Most North Americans who rent cars don’t like driving compacts. Rental companies know this, and they usually order more mid-size and full-size cars.

If your destination is a smaller facility or non-hub airport, chances are good that they have only a few compacts. On some days, they might not have any compacts when customers arrive.

In that situation, if you’ve reserved a compact, they are obligated to give you a free upgrade. Many times, you’ll move up two categories for no additional charge.

I’ve done this many times over the years. Remember: you can usually pay an upgrade fee on the spot for a larger car if they call your bluff and tell you the compact is ready to go. There will be times when the smallest cars are all that remains on the lot. Those times are fairly rare.

In larger facilities, where the supply of cars is huge, this plan is far less likely to work. But it might be worth a try if you’re willing to risk getting a smaller car.

You’re also unlikely to make this strategy pay outside of North America. The rest of the world often prefers very small, fuel-efficient cars.   

 recent search on Hertz.com showed a three-day rental of a mid-sized car from Denver International would cost $236 USD, nearly $79/day. If four more days are added, the total cost goes up, but only to $361. That’s less than $52/day.

How is that possible?

On day five, Hertz’s weekly rate took effect. Many times, reserving a car for a week (even if it sits in a driveway or parking lot) is cheaper than trying to get a daily rate on a shorter rental.

For that reason, it pays to try a number of time combinations when you consider your rental period. It might be smarter to pick up the car on Thursday, even if you don’t really need it until Friday. The Friday rental might come with a weekend rate that is more expensive.