**Gulfport, Miss.** – With the busy holiday season underway, Mississippi Power wants to remind customers that the best way to stay merry and bright is to follow a few simple safety tips.
“From decorating your home to hosting family and friends to last minute shopping and traveling, our customers come across safety hazards daily during the holiday season,” said Mississippi Power Spokeswoman Kaila Moran Griffith. “We want to ensure that our customers keep safety a priority as they check things off their holiday list.”
Mississippi Power recommends the following tips:
* Don’t overload electrical sockets, power strips or circuits.
* If you have a real tree in your home, keep it hydrated and away from any heat or electrical sources.
* Use LED bulbs wherever possible as they emit less heat and are more energy efficient.
* Use a timer or turn off lights and other holiday decorations when you’re away or sleeping.
* Be familiar with how to use a portable space heater and follow all safety precautions. Do not leave it on unattended.
* Check both indoor and outdoor sets of lights before use for any damage. Throw out any sets that have loose connections, frayed wires or cracked bulbs.
* Report a streetlight outage in your neighborhood by calling 1-800-ITS-DARK or visiting the Mississippi Power website. Now in its 98th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for more than 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power was honored with a Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce. The Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve recently recognized Mississippi Power for its commitment to its military workforce. Mississippi Power has nearly 160MW of solar capacity at four locations across the company’s service territory, including Southern Company’s first project to combine the latest, cutting-edge solar technology with battery storage. Visit our websites at [mississippipower.com](https://www.mississippipower.com), like us on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/mississippipower/), and follow us on [Twitter](https://x.com/MS_Power), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/mississippipower/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mississippi-power-company), and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/MississippiPowerCo).
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