Christmas Tree Safety Tips For Your Family
If your holiday celebration includes a Christmas tree, you may already know it needs daily watering. But here are some additional tree care tips to protect your home and family:

• Keep your tree at least three feet away from flame or heat sources, such as fireplaces and radiators. These pose a fire risk and will dry out your tree faster.
• Never put candles on or near your tree.
• Check your Christmas tree lights for broken bulbs. If one is damaged, remove the whole string from your tree.
• Make sure your Christmas tree lights are designed for indoor use.
• Unplug Christmas tree lights when you leave the house or go to bed.
• Check if your Christmas tree lights have been tested for safety by a nationally recognized laboratory. If they have, they will be marked ETL, UL or CSA. If you cannot find this information on the lights, look on the box.
• Make sure you do not have too many lights on your tree. Check the box for the appropriate number of strings to use.
• Locate your tree near a power outlet so you can limit use of an extension cord. Make sure to use a new extension cord that is marked UL to show it has been tested.
• If you have an artificial tree, check to see if it has the label "Fire Resistant."
• If you have young children, keep heavy ornaments or those with small parts away from the bottom of the tree.

Welcome to Attorney Sam Segal
Breakstone, White & Gluck is pleased to announce that Sam Segal has joined the firm as an associate. Sam was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2010 and received his Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law in the spring of 2010. In law school, Sam completed four co-operative internships, including Breakstone, White & Gluck, the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. and the Environmental Protection Agency in Boston. He also worked for two years as the Chief of Special Projects for the Prisoners' Rights Legal Clinic.

Drive Safely This Winter
The snow will start falling soon, bringing back the challenge of cold weather for drivers. Make sure you and your car are ready with these tips:

• Install good winter tires with adequate tread and pressure.
• Keep a windshield scraper and small broom in your car for ice and snow removal.
• Have a well-stocked Winter Emergency Car Kit.
• Keep your gas tank at least half-full.

Read more tips from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.