As you prepare to celebrate Christmas this year with your family and pets, a few safety precautions will help keep everyone safe and jolly. While you're spoiling your family with delicious, fresh baked Christmas cookies (and your dog is munching on gourmet dog cookies), keep in mind that certain holiday decorations and food can put your dog in danger - the makings of a Christmas disaster.

The following is a list of potentially harmful holiday items and ways to keep your dog out of danger.

Holiday Plants: Christmas Trees, Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe & Poinsettia

If your dog ingests any of these holiday plants, you'll need to plan a trip to the emergency veterinary clinic. These plants have varying degrees of toxicity, and side effects range from nausea to vomiting and diarrhea to cardiac problems or even death. Households with pets should stick to the silk varieties of these plants. If you have live plants, keep them out of reach of both dogs and cats. To discourage your dog from getting into the plants, keep him occupied with toys and gourmet dog cookies.

Holiday Food

As delicious as your Christmas turkey might be, don't feed your dog the bones! Dogs can easily choke on bones. It's best not to feed your dog any table scraps because they can cause gastric upset or dehydration. When he's not being supervised, keep your dog out of the kitchen and dining areas and be sure he can't jump up on counters to grab a snack.

Feed him his normal meals where you are dining so that he can feel included. If you have the urge to give him a holiday goodie, toss him some gourmet dog cookies instead of your own sweets. Always remember that chocolate is extremely toxic for dogs. Some gourmet dog cookies have a chocolate substitute, called carob, which is perfectly safe and just as tasty in your dog's opinion.

Also, alcoholic drinks can cause alcohol poisoning or comas in smaller dogs, so make sure your pooch doesn't get into the hooch.

Holiday Decorations: Artificial Snow, Lights, Gift Wrapping & Electrical Cords

There's nothing like dressing up your home for the holidays, but keep in mind that certain decorations are hazardous to unattended pets. Your pets might want to lick poisonous artificial snow or flocking if it's within reach. Only spray it in places that are high off the ground.

You know how easy it is to get tangled up in strings of Christmas lights. Imagine how enticing lights and electrical cords look to a curious dog or cat! With just one chomp, your pets could be shocked, burned or electrocuted. The same goes if they get tangled up in the cords. Your best bet would be to run exposed cords through PVC piping or hide them under heavy furniture or rugs.

Gift wrapping presents a whole new host of dangers. Ribbons, bows, foils, and strings might look like toys to your pets. Be sure that you wrap all gifts in a secluded area and carefully clean up all the leftover waste. Keeping your presents under the tree might not be an option if you have a chewer; find a tabletop to display them decoratively.

Maintaining the Routine

The key to keeping your pets out of the holiday decorations is supervision and attention.  Everyone gets busy during the holidays, but it's essential that you devote enough playtime and affection to your pets, too.

Try giving your dog a new toy a few weeks before Christmas. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise (even if it's just a quick, chilly walk to the mailbox and back). When he's well-behaved, reward him with gourmet dog treats.

With a little forethought, you can easily dog-proof your home for the holidays to ensure that everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas.