Here’s some holiday news designed to keep you out of the Emergency Room - opening presents can be hazardous to your health! According to the Pennsylvania Medical Society, almost 20% of us have been injured while opening gifts during the holidays. The problem isn’t gift wrap or ribbons. It’s the plastic and blister packs that manufacturers use to protect merchandise. Blister packs are those that have clear plastic molds around the shape of the product inside - so you can see what you’re buying. These molds are usually attached to a cardboard backing. Toothbrushes, for example, come in blister packs. Although getting hurt opening a present may sound silly, packaging causes more ER visits than skateboards or swimming pools, according to Consumer Reports. So, here are a few tips to help you get to your gifts, without getting hurt:

• Use scissors instead of a knife, and make sure you cut away from your body.
• Give yourself plenty of elbow room. Many injuries that require medical attention happen when a sharp object slips and cuts an innocent bystander.
• Don’t clamp packages under your arm or between your legs to keep them steady while you cut. This is a recipe for stabbing yourself.
  
  

By the way, that feeling of frustration you get when you can’t get through the packaging has an official name. The American Dialect Society calls it “wrap rage” - and anyone who’s ever tried to get an action figure or pair of headphones open, understands why.