By now most households likely have their Christmas tree up and glistening in the window.

If you and your family decided to stick with tradition and get a real tree it's important to take preventative measures to make sure your tree doesn't cause your family any grief this holiday season.

"Obvious dangers of getting a real Christmas tree is the fact that they are highly flammable," said Dan Walker, fire prevention officer, Vernon Fire Department. "People let them dry out so you want to keep them watered."

"You want to put lights on the Christmas trees that are in good repair and that are rated for indoor use because you can buy indoor and outdoor lights."

Walker doesn't recommend everyone should go out and buy a fake tree, he just hopes people understand how to properly take care of a real one.  

"They're [real trees] extremely safe, it's when they get tinder dry, just like the forest does," he said. "The obvious danger of Christmas trees is if they do catch fire they will totally consume the tree and the room within two or three minutes."

"Anyone that is in that house or dwelling will be in great danger."

Annually, there are not a significant amount of calls made to fire rescue services regarding Christmas tree fires, says Walker.

"I think people are being pretty safe and quite honestly most people have switched over to the artificial tree."

The most important safety to measure to use on a real Christmas tree is to keep it watered at all times. You never want the tree to run dry.

Never leave candles unattended, especially candles near a Christmas tree.

Make sure to use proper indoor lights on your tree that do not get hot to the touch.

For more information on holiday safety tips click here.