Kelly Makiha: Holiday at your own risk

Kelly Makiha

It sounds so simple, but a few easy reminders will help make these holidays the best they can possibly be. Listen to the news or read the newspapers at this time of year and you'd be forgiven for thinking summer is pretty dangerous.

It's little wonder we even venture outside.

Car crashes, drownings, boating tragedies and freak accidents all make up the news during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

If you're not dying or losing loved ones in horrible circumstances, there's also the risk other horrible stuff will happen to you.

Light fingered thieves could be ripping off your house while you're on holiday, drink drivers could be ploughing into your vehicles as you innocently drive home, scammers wanting to make a quick buck to pay off Christmas debt could be talking you into something you don't want and bored school children could be breaking into your car.

Yet despite all of this, the Christmas and New Year holidays are still the best time of year.

It sounds so simple, but a few easy reminders will help make these holidays the best they can possibly be.

Like a well-oiled machine, organisations such as police, coastguard and the fire service rattle off safety precautions in December in a bid to save a few lives or even just relieve people from heartbreak.

Some of us listen, others treat it like they do the safety briefing while on an aeroplane and switch off.

And while it would be remiss of me not to encourage people to be extra careful during these summer holidays, it's important to not let fear cloud your ability to have a good time.

My daughter started school this year and her new principal gave us parents preparing our bundles of joy for school the best advice.

If you see your child climbing a tree -- encourage them to climb higher, don't tell them to get down in case they get hurt.