Umm...this may sound a bit off putting, but those should all be common sense. How can people year after year, that use a real tree, not realize these things and then are suddenly surprised when their house goes up in flames from shear negligence.
KenGorbutt, not everyone has common sense, I think its a gift for some and for others its well just not there. Something to watch out for is having lots of flammable stuff near the lights. While some lights may have safety measures of its own that constant heat from more intense bulbs could cause problems.
Sadly that is completely true. Sometimes I think common sense is closer to a super power.