With Christmas less than a month away, many Moose Javians will be in the process of decorating their house for the holidays.

This includes things like Christmas trees, lights, outdoor decorations and more.

But with the decorations comes a greater risk for house fires over the holidays.

Cathy Bassett is a Public Education Officer with the Fire Department and explained more about the risks.

"You have a lot more lights up, you have decorations that may not be in the right spot, you might not have good lights. People tend to plug in a lot of extension cords and that can cause problems."

Bassett gave tips on choosing a Christmas tree and how to take care of it once it's home.

"Make sure when you're checking it that it's fresh, make sure that when you touch it that no needles fall off, place the tree at least 3 feet away from any heat source because that will dry out your tree quicker. Always remember that these trees are live and they need to be watered daily."

Leaving your home for the holidays also puts your house at greater risk, Bassett gave some tips if you decide to go on vacation during the holidays.

"If you're going to leave your house for an extended period of time I would have people checking your house obviously and don't leave any lights on with your decorations."

It's important to note that one in three Christmas tree fires is caused by electrical problems.