With Christmas Day less than two weeks away and homes decorated with holiday spirit across America, no one wants to be bothered with home maintenance and care, especially rooftops that are out of sight.  

According to RAFTR Roofing + Exteriors (RAFTRx), there are several reasons this particular holiday season may bring a few unexpected breaks to homeowner roofs, which is why one of America’s leading roofing companies and a long-time friend to Santa Claus suggests that homeowners inspect their roofs in January in advance of the heart of winter.

Extremely Wet Weather Forecast This Winter

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts wetter-than-average conditions for parts of the country, which means there is a greater likelihood of increased snow and ice. Excessive accumulation of snow and ice on a roof can cause concerns such as sagging, leaks and even collapse. 

Letters to Santa On The Rise

According to the Smithsonian and its partner, the U.S. Postal Service, letter writing is on the rise. Operation Santa, created in the early 20^th century to handle the deluge of letters going to Santa, anticipates a strong response this year, which translates to more letters and toys filling Santa’s sleigh.  

Weight of the World

While experts at RAFTRx are pleased to see more children writing Santa which inevitably means more presents under the Christmas Tree, they are concerned about other numbers, according to scientific studies.  This year, Santa is anticipated to deliver presents to approximately 378 million children or 91.8 million homes at an average [census] rate of 3.5 children per household, according to the Population Reference Bureau.  

Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west.  This works out to 822.6 visits per second, visually depicted in the recent box office release of Red One starring The Rock.  

As impressive as Santa’s journey may be, the payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium-sized lego set (two pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting Santa, who is invariably described as overweight. Even with a little Santa magic, that amount of weight inevitably adds unnecessary wear and tear to a home’s roof, however brief the visit.  Additionally, it has been documented that reindeer can, from time to time, tear up shingles or puncture metal roofs. It’s the nature of landing and taking off.  

How To Minimize Roof Damage This Holiday

RAFTRx suggests the homeowners reduce the amount of time Santa is on their roof by ensuring the following:

• Trim overhanging tree limbs. Overhanging limbs can break in high winds, heavy snow and ice, and other severe weather, causing serious roof damage. 

• Clean your gutters. Leaving your gutters to gunk up with wet leaves and debris can lead to problems all over the exterior of your home, from rusting drainpipes to water leaking into your basement or through your foundation and even causing damage to your roof. 

• Sweep your roof. Take property safety precautions including a safety harness and begin by uising a push broom or leaf blower to remove any loose dirt, dust, leaves, sticks, and other debris from the roof. Start at the top of the roof and gradually make your way down.

• Call a professional and avoid DIY repairs. Your roof is much more complex than you might think, and years of industry knowledge go into repairs and replacement. While you might know your way around a toolset well, it’s best to leave roof repairs to the professionals to avoid causing more damage.