Dec 14th 2020
The house is wrapped with twinkling red and blue bulbs, the aroma of Grandma’s signature snickerdoodle cookies wafts from the oven, and the countdown for at least the hundredth viewing of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is about to expire. These are the traditions that never grow stale and help remind us why December tends to be the most wonderful time of the year. But aside from the tranquility our edible customs and luminous decor bring us, there’s another, more hectic element to the holidays that always seems to creep up on us just as we begin to feel prepared for all the end-of-the-year festivities: presents.
As we descend into the holidays, we enter the inevitable, tumultuous frenzy of gift exchanges. And while we try our best to ensure our friends, family, and loved ones are taken care of by adhering to the latest toy and technological infatuations, it’s easy to let safety slip our minds when it comes to shopping for presents. December has been designated as Safe Toys and Celebrations Month by the American Public Health Association, and for good measure too. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are an estimated quarter-million people treated for toy-related injuries in the U.S. every year, with over one-third of those treated being children under the age of 5.
There are ample opportunities to prevent the prospects of vision injuries during the holidays. When it comes to gifting your children, the American Public Health Association offers a resourceful toy safety checklist to consider, which includes the following:
- Avoiding toys with sharp or projectile parts
- Always review warning labels to see if your child is within the toy’s age recommendation
- Refrain from purchasing toys that shoot objects or include parts that fly off
- Check toy labels to see if they’ve passed inspection from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ATSM)
- Always seek immediate medical attention in the event of a toy-related eye injury
In addition to making sure toys and gifts meet adequate eye safety standards, you can always be on the lookout for potential presents that will protect your child’s vision while meeting their holiday gift standards.
If you’re planning on purchasing any electronic gifts this holiday, consider accompanying those presents with blue light-filtering eyewear, which, according to the American Optometric Association, can drastically reduce possible retina damage and improve overall sleep quality for both adults and children alike. In fact, the holidays are a better time than ever to take advantage of great deals to upgrade the eyewear of someone close to you. Be sure to take advantage of SCOJO’s complimentary two-day delivery service, and if you can’t make up your mind on what to get for someone, you can always leave it up to them with a SCOJO holiday gift card.
BluLite Radcliffe, BluLite Arial, BluLite Bookman
While it’s easy to get caught up in all the hoopla of holiday gift exchanges, it’s important to remember why we’re getting together and celebrating to begin with: jollity. Nothing can keep a celebration festive and jovial like the absence of an accident, so please be sure to observe the guidelines and recommendations of Safe Toys and Celebrations Month this December. And no matter what festivities you’re observing this time of year, all of us at SCOJO wish you a safe, joyous, and healthy holiday.