Dudley DeBosier - December 2021

Dudley DeBosier - December 2021

DEC 2021

Baton Rouge 225-444-4444 1075 Government St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802

6 CHRISTMAS DECORATION DO’S AND DON’TS

Denham Springs 225-444-4444

419 S. Range Ave., Ste. A Denham Springs, LA 70726

Lafayette 337-444-4444 2800 W. Pinhook Rd., Ste. 9 Lafayette, LA 70508 New Orleans 504-444-4444 622 Baronne St. New Orleans, LA 70113 Shreveport 318-800-8000 4300 Youree Dr., Ste. 250 Shreveport, LA 71105 Houma 985-444-4444 7887 W. Main St., Ste. 101 Houma, LA 70360

Whether your family goes for a lighter touch when it comes to Christmas decorations or you prefer to turn your home into a true winter wonderland, safety should always be your biggest priority.

At Dudley DeBosier, we know injuries can occur anytime and anywhere, and putting up Christmas decorations is actually a common source of serious accidents and mishaps.

When decorating the inside and outside of your home this holiday season, DO:

• Secure the area around your Christmas tree — Christmas trees are irresistible to pets and small children. To prevent toppled trees and severe injuries, secure your tree with a safety gate and keep it away from furniture.

• Double-check lights before hanging them — Lights can degrade over time, or they can become damaged by elements, pets, and general wear and tear. Worn lights may have exposed wires or faulty covering, which can create the risk of electrical shock and even fires.

• Use high-quality surge protectors — In addition to providing you with more outlets, surge protectors can also protect your home’s wiring, your decorations, and your home itself from damage due to overloaded circuits.

In addition to following those tips, make sure you DON’T:

• Create a trip hazard with wires and cables — Lighting the inside and outside of your home can result in a jumbled mess of wires and cables. When hanging lights and decor, make sure to place wired gadgets near electrical outlets to minimize visible wires and to reduce the risk of tripping and falling. • Use a ladder that isn’t balanced and secured — Whether you’re putting up wreaths, Christmas lights, or even a festive reindeer display on the roof, test your ladder before you climb up. Ensure it’s placed on a solid, stable, and level surface and have someone hold onto the base of the ladder to help stabilize it while you climb up or down. • Place your Christmas tree near a space heater or furnace — The National Fire Protection Association says that around 160 home fires are started every year because of Christmas trees, so be sure to keep yours well away from potential fire hazards.

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Get Festive This Christmas! 4 HOLIDAY THEME PARTY IDEAS

It’s the Christmas season, and holiday parties are starting to come back around for this year. Regular parties are fun, but having a theme can make your party even more exciting and allows your guests to participate beyond just showing up. But with all the many different themes of the holidays, how are you supposed to pick just one? Here are four themes to get you started! Have a Cooking Showdown Not only will this idea bring joy and laughter to you and your guests, but it will also reduce the amount of food you have to make. Ask your friends to create a Christmas dish for everyone to try and then you all vote on your favorite, and the winner can receive a gift for winning the cooking showdown. Everyone will leave

A CLEAN BEDROOM IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH 3 Tips for a More Restful Space When keeping your house clean, you probably focus on the major germ hotspots: kitchens and bathrooms. You may, however, be overlooking the room where you spend the most time — your bedroom. Failure to thoroughly clean the place where you sleep can have negative effects on your health in terms of worsened allergies or asthma. Feel your best by following these three cleaning tips. Banish dust high and low. Your bedroom’s biggest threat to your health probably exists in the form of dust mites. These microscopic organisms live off the dead human skin found in dust, and while they prefer soft surfaces like your bedding, their presence anywhere can cause an allergic reaction. To keep your bedroom as dust-free as possible, start with the blades of your ceiling fan and give the tops a good scrub. Work your way down over furniture and shelving, ending at the baseboards. Don’t forget to clean the vent covers, which are dust magnets. Pay attention to your air quality. Central heating and air systems keep your house temperate but also circulate dust through the air. Make sure to change your filters as recommended by the manufacturer’s instructions. If you use any in-room devices like air purifiers, dehumidifiers, or window air conditioners, you should change the filters monthly. Meanwhile, be mindful of mold — try to keep the room at 50% humidity or lower and clean any mold in and around windows immediately with a bleach/chlorine solution. (Don’t forget to wear a protective mask!) Clean all your soft surfaces. You probably know to change and wash your sheets once a week, but what about all of the other soft surfaces in your bedroom, like outer bedding and curtains? In addition to the risk of dust mites, soft surfaces trap dirt and oils. Your comforter or bedspread should be washed every 1–2 months. Many people also forget about their pillows; protective pillow covers used under your pillowcase should be washed monthly, while pillows themselves should be washed 2–3 times per year. Lastly, your curtains collect dust, too — wash them 3–4 times annually.

your party with a full belly and fun memories. Throw a Christmas Costume Party It may not be

Halloween, but you can still dress up in a costume for Christmas. Ask your guests to arrive at your party dressed as their favorite Christmas character and vote on your favorite costume. There are

tons of ideas that you and your guests can choose from — whether that be an individual costume or a group costume. You can dress up as the Grinch and the citizens of Whoville, Buddy the elf, Mr. Scrooge, or Jack and Sally from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Christmas Around the World Throw a party where you’re celebrating the different Christmas traditions from around the world. You can decorate your party area with flags of each country and have activities that go along with each one. This is a fun way to learn more about different cultures and how they celebrate the holiday season. Christmas Carol-oke It’s like karaoke, but with a Christmas twist! Have your guests sing Christmas songs either alone or with a group. You can get karaoke microphones at Walmart or Target and use YouTube to find songs that you and your guests want to perform. There are tons of songs to choose from, like classic Christmas tunes or songs from holiday movies!

With the above tips, your bedroom will be cleaner and more relaxing than ever. Take in the clean air and fresh scents and enjoy a good night’s sleep.

When it comes to Christmas party themes, it might surprise you that the possibilities are endless! We hope you’ll have a very happy holiday!

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Being the Official Injury Lawyers of the New Orleans Saints® means more to us than just a simple sponsorship. Just like being a Saints fan means more than just being a fan of football. The New Orleans Saints represent resiliency, strength, and teamwork — the same qualities that got and continues to get New Orleans through the most trying times — and the same qualities that we strive to adhere to at our law firm. Tenacity drives the Saints to win, is what drives New Orleans to win, and is what drives us to win for our clients. The start of football season is only a small part of our involvement with the Saints. Yes, we look forward to football season in the Big Easy — celebrating sweet traditions with our fellow fans. We love the roots that bring a unique vibrancy to New Orleans. We love walking through a sea of black and gold, listening to “Who dat!” chants in Champion Square with the most loyal fans in the league — it’s a feeling like none other. We also love highlighting the Protector of the Game each week. However, being the Official Injury Lawyers of the New Orleans Saints also means we get to be involved with the Saints outside of football season. It means standing up for the Saints, our city, our fellow fans, and our community as a whole — making it a safer and better place to live … and huge giveaways! This year, we had the pleasure of hosting our fifth Travel Like a Saint Sweepstakes. We sent our winner, Jeffery Oliver, and his son to the Saints vs. Seahawks game in Seattle for FREE! Not only did they create memories that would last a lifetime, but they also got to watch our Saints pull out a huge WIN on Lumen Field. Congratulations to our die-hard Saints fans, the Olivers! Gratitude TRAVEL LIKE A SAINT!

Word Search

HAVE A Laugh

CANDLES CELEBRATION JINGLE JOLLY MISTLETOE ORNAMENT PRESENT SANTA SLEIGH STOCKING

WASSAIL WREATH

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1075 Government St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Inside THIS ISSUE 1

The Do’s and Don’ts of Christmas Decorating

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3 Tips to Keep Your Bedroom Clean

Get Your Vocal Cords Ready for Christmas Carol-oke

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Travel Like a Saint!

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Our Christmas Giveaway

As a parent, one of the greatest joys at Christmas time is providing gifts for your children. With life’s twists and turns (especially during this pandemic), sometimes parents aren’t able to provide like they’d like to, which can be devastating. At Dudley DeBosier, we want to bless 12 families in need by empowering parents to purchase gifts for their children on Christmas morning. That’s why we’re selecting 12 lucky winners to receive a $200 gift card just in time to buy some presents for their loved ones! To enter, visit DudleyDeBosier.com/Christmas and complete the submission form before Tuesday, Dec. 14. All winners will be contacted and announced on Dec. 16. Good luck and merry Christmas! Dudley DeBosier’s Annual Christmas Giveaway!

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