Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Chaney's biggest tip is to make sure you're not overloading your extension cords.
Beth Reiss, the department's communications director, said that after that, it's important to really keep an eye on the state of your cords, plugs and lights.
"We take these items out of boxes that are in our closets, in our attics once a year," she said. "We need to very carefully inspect those wires to make sure that nothing's frayed, that animals haven't gotten a hold of it, and bitten into it."
And the safest decorations are ones that are Underwriter's Lab approved.
"Everything that is UL approved should have a label on it," Reiss explained. "Your Christmas lights are gonna have, usually, it's kind of a shiny foil looking little tag on it and it will say UL. It may also be imprinted onto the plastic that's formed around the plug part."
New decorations should also have a UL seal of approval on the packaging.
Even with safe decor, though, Reiss said that it's important to make sure the rest of the house is safe in case of a fire.
"You've done everything right and there's still a fire: that happens sometimes," she said. "Don't block your exits to get out of the house with the tree."
So keep the tree out of your way, and away from anywhere that's hot -- like a fireplace. Having smoke detectors in the right place is a key measure, too.
"There should be one in every common area and one inside or outside of every bedroom," Reiss told MPB.
And, while you're digging those lights out, see how the rest of the house is set up for the winter.
"As you're up in the attic or moving around your house, check your gutters to make sure that they're cleaned out," Reiss said. "Check your ventilation and the insulation in your attic, just to prevent things so you don't have a home insurance claim."
Reiss said one of the most important ways to prevent fires is to make sure that decorations get turned off when you're going out or going to bed.
"Certainly you can unplug it if you want to take it a step further, but turning things off or having things on a timer even is a really safe way to approach it," she said.
