December is the cruelest month when it comes to house fires caused by candles. Though meant to endow homes with warmth and grace, candles as well as decorative holiday lights can cause serious safety hazards if they're misused. Candle fires tripled in the U.S. between 1990 and 2002 even while overall reported home fires were falling. In 2002, the last year for which figures are available, they caused an estimated 18,000 home fires, resulting in 130 civilian deaths and 1,350 injuries, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Peaking during the holiday season, candle fires typically start when burning candles are placed too close to combustible materials such as decorations including greenery, drapes or bedding, or are left unattended, says Marty Ahrens, the NFPA's manager of fire analysis services. Sometimes the candleholder itself ignites or shatters. (Go to www.cpsc.gov for candle and candleholder recalls.)

Follow these safety tips for safer use:

One more cautionary note: Forty percent of candle fires started in bedrooms, often when the flame ignited bedding or mattresses, so avoid placing candles near sleeping areas. Keep them out of children's, teenagers', and dormitory rooms as well.

Indoor and outdoor Christmas lights are another potential holiday hazard. Millions of holiday lights have wires that can overheat and catch fire and have been recalled over the past decade by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many of those lights were uncertified and counterfeit. Many were sold in dollar and discount stores. Damaged cords and lights can also overheat and ignite Christmas trees and decorations.

Lead is often added to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic--which coats electrical cords, wire, and cable--to make it more durable and heat-resistant. Research has found that some lead may come to the surface and stick to skin as the cord is handled.

Handling holiday light cords occasionally is unlikely to cause acute lead poisoning, particularly in adults, but it's a good idea to wash your hands afterward. Long-term exposure to even low levels of lead increases the risk of damage to the kidneys and nervous system, developmental effects in children, and cancer. New regulations in California and the European Union will limit the use of lead in plastic used to make electrical cords and holiday lights. For more information about how to reduce lead hazards in your home, visit the Environmental Protection Agency's Web site, http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead/index.html, or contact The National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).

Follow these safety tips when buying and using holiday lights: