Santa may get a bad rap for being an unhealthy role model but he represents only a small fraction of a multitude of real life health hazards of the Christmas season reported in the literature.
German researchers have conducted a systematic review of Christmas health mishaps – dubbed “Chrishaps’ and found that they extend far beyond the usual warnings relating to overeating and drinking.
Medical literature reports dating back as far as the 19th century document incidences of adverse health outcomes from the Christmas period, whether it be due to the weather, decorations, gifts or Christmas food and drink.
Dr Ursula Wild, an occupational medicine physician at the University of Cologne, reviewed 36 papers relating to Christmas hazards and found they come in many different shapes and guises and can affect everyone from children to world leaders.
She points to a report of a likely hip fracture experienced by former US president Ulysses S. Grant on Christmas Eve 1883 as a result of slipping on ice at the door of his home. The injury was misdiagnosed as ‘muscle strain’ but left him immobile and in pain for months.
In the northern hemisphere there have been thousands reports of snow and ice-related injuries related to sleds, toboggans and skates.
Falls and other physical injuries related to other Christmas activities also appear to be some of the more common occurrences during the festive season, with five separate papers reporting on accidents such as when putting up residential decorations and residential Christmas lights.
“Among these risks, falls from ladders or roofs were the most common, but also from furniture, with some significant injuries like lacerations, strains and sprains, or fractures…. Lifting heavy objects (e.g. a box of decorative materials) may cause injury to the lower back,” writes Dr Wild with colleagues in the Australia and NZ Journal of Public Health (link).