Christmas tree injuries costing ACC thousands

More than 80 people, on average, in New Zealand injure themselves hanging Christmas decorations each festive season. Photo / iStock

Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, you cause scores of injuries.

ACC figures for the past three years reveal more than 80 people, on average, in New Zealand injure themselves hanging Christmas decorations each festive season.

The incidents have cost ACC between $37,000 and $50,000 a year, with women making more claims than men.

The accidents include falling from a stool when hanging Christmas decorations, cutting a finger on a broken glass decoration and injuring the lower back when lifting a box of decorations.

John Munro opened his Dunedin Christmas tree farm in Kaikorai Valley Rd on Saturday.

He had sold about 40% of his available stock and expected to sell out before Christmas.

Every season, he heard stories of Dunedin residents injuring themselves when decorating Christmas trees.

''I heard a lot about trees falling over. They put all the decoration on one side of the tree and it makes one side heavy.''

The tumbling tree then often fell on someone.

A tree often toppled when a cat scaled it or a toddler grabbed decorations from it.