The holiday season is a time for family and friends, food and fun. But there are a few things that can spoil your holiday festivities, like getting sick.

Don't let your holiday spirit to get in the way of being safe, taking precautions, and avoiding a bout of something you don't want for Christmas!

Dreaming of a Safe Christmas

Many of us know what it was like to be dealing with coronavirus in 2020 during the holiday season. And, to be honest, many of us believed that it would be nothing more than a bad memory in 2021. 

Not so much.

Although overall cases and hospitalizations are nowhere near the levels they were at twelve months ago, COVID-19 and a few of its variants are still with us for the holidays this year. And now, with the most recent variant development, staying safe is still a priority this season.

While it is still early on, the media and the various health agencies are already addressing the potential impact of the latest variant identified, known as Omicron variant. 

An article at WebMD noted that there is a lot that we don’t know about Omicron, including whether it causes more severe illness than other variants, according to Leana Wen, MD, an emergency doctor and public health professor at George Washington University.

The article went on to state that,

Early evidence also shows that the Omicron variant may spread easier than other COVID-19 variants, she says. “That’s very concerning because Delta, which is the dominant variant here in the U.S. and around the world, is already extremely contagious. So, if this is even more contagious, it could displace the Delta variant,” says Wen.

As of early December, 2021, there had been no cases of the Omicron variant have been reported in the US.

5 Tips for a Happy, Healthy and Safe Holiday Season

While there is much more to be careful of or avoid during the holidays, media attention and the continuing presence of coronavirus tends to keep it top of mind. And it does pay to be safe.

You can brighten your holidays by making health and safety a priority. Take steps to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy so everyone can enjoy the holidays.

For example, here are tips from the World Health Organization (WHO) for the most effective steps individuals can take to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus:

• Keep a physical distance (of 6 feet) from others
• Wear a well-fitting mask
• Open windows to improve ventilation and avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces
• Keep hands clean
• Cough or sneeze into a bent elbow or tissue
• Get vaccinated

In addition to COVID-19 and its variants, the flu season has also begun and, while it is not thought to be as severe as previous years, any flu is a flu you don't want. Wash hands often to help prevent the spread of germs, especially during flu season. Wash your hands with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds.

But there is much more to be aware of during the holidays aside from viruses.

And, with that in mind, here are some proven tips from the CDC for staying safe and healthy during the holidays.

1. Bundle up to stay dry and warm. Wear appropriate outdoor clothing: light, warm layers, gloves, hats, scarves, and waterproof boots.
   
   
2. Fasten seat belts while driving or riding in a motor vehicle. Always buckle your children in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt according to their height, weight, and age. Buckle up every time, no matter how short the trip and encourage passengers to do the same.
   
   
3. Get your vaccinations. Vaccinations help prevent diseases and save lives. Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine each year.
   
   
4. Practice fire safety. Most residential fires occur during the winter months, so don’t leave fireplaces, space heaters, food cooking on stoves, or candles unattended. Have an emergency plan and practice it regularly.
   
   
5. Prepare food safely. Remember these simple steps: Wash hands and surfaces often, avoid cross-contamination, cook foods to proper temperatures and refrigerate foods promptly.
   
   

Staying Safe with Holiday Junk Removal

The holidays tend to be filled with lots of activity and sometimes that includes heavy-duty clean up and hauling things. DIY junk removal in cold weather can be dangerous. Lifting and hauling large junk items like old furniture or heavy boxes of rubbish can lead to pulled muscles or worse.

There's a safer way to manage holiday junk removal.

Your local Junk King team can provide you with efficient, safe and eco-friendly bulk junk and trash removal both during and after the holidays. At Junk King, our goal is to make the whole process easy for you.

You can rely on our experienced junk removal team to have all the resources they need to haul away your large piles or bulky items quickly, easily, and affordably.

At Junk King we know that you may also have household junk items that need to go to make room for your holiday celebrations. You may have meant to take care of it months before, but time got away from you. We get it!  And we can take care of it for you now.

The good news is that we'll make sure that those items end up in the right place. That could be a local non-profit group for those items that are still in usable condition, or else to a recycling facility.

That means you can know that your junk is always disposed of in an eco-friendly way. And that's because we're committed to putting as little junk as possible in landfills.

For Junk King, "being green" and environmentally responsible is at the core of our company mission. And we carry out that mission every day by recycling and donating everything we possibly can. In fact, our teams recycle up to 60 percent or more, to be exact.

So, when it comes to bulk trash removal, we take the eco-friendly route by making sure that all the metals, plastics, glass, and other materials are broken down and recycled properly.

And, best of all, we do all the heavy lifting!

You simply point and we haul your trash items into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees.

Our professional and insured junk removal and disposal team will call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive at your home. And, once we’re there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your bulk trash will take up in our truck, along with any other junk items you want to get rid of.

So, make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).