For those who choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day, traditional gifts such as flowers and candy and romantic outings may prove to be more dangerous than you once thought. We analyzed government data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission showing injuries that resulted in emergency room visits on Valentine’s Day 2020 — the latest available data. That day saw an increase of 1,487 visits compared to the day before. Here’s some advice for safely celebrating today: Trimming Flower Stems You don’t have to be a florist to know that when you receive a bouquet of flowers, if you want to increase their longevity you snip the ends of the stems before putting them in a vase. Take your time with this; don’t be like the 22-year-old woman who landed in the ER after slipping and jabbing herself with scissors while cutting her flowers. As always, be careful with knives and scissors. It’s safest to use pruning shears — and remember to cut the stems at an angle to make your flowers stay fresh longer. Romantic Gestures Gone Wrong We’re all familiar with the man sweeping a woman off of her feet trope, but men, please know your limits. If you know you’ve been slacking on your New Year’s resolution to hit the gym more, don’t try to carry your partner. Take it from a 30-year-old woman who spent a portion of Valentine’s Day in the ER after her boyfriend dropped her, causing her to face-plant and suffer multiple face abrasions and swelling. And if you’re getting your freak on, be careful. Enough said. Watch Where You’re Dancing At one point or another, we all imagined what it would be like to be either Patrick Swayze or Jennifer Grey in “Dirty Dancing” (right?), but some dreams aren’t meant to be reality. If a night out dancing is your scene, make sure you’re being mindful of your abilities and surroundings. Keep an eye out for spilled drinks on the dance floor to avoid a bad fall like the 99-year-old woman who broke her femur after having a slip and fall while dancing with a partner. Candle Fires Aren’t Only for Christmas Keep that romantic candle away from anything that can catch fire. Curtains, confetti, wrapping paper are all fuel. It’s estimated that a third of structure fires caused by candles started in bedrooms, where people fall asleep and leave them unattended. Nobody Loves a Drunken Driver If you plan on getting a few drinks at dinner, make sure you have a designated driver or set up a taxi or ride-share service to whisk you safely home. At the End of the Day… On a day that’s about spreading the joys of love to others, make sure that you aren’t inadvertently causing harm to them or yourself. Use caution when popping open a bottle of champagne, take into account food allergies when giving out sweet treats and, whether or not you celebrate this holiday, take extra caution on the road. Enjoy yourselves and remember to be safe while you celebrate!