The holiday shopping season is truly upon us: Last Friday the most voracious of tramps woke themselves at 4:30 a.m. to go running wild through Target as if they were on that defunct game show, Supermarket Sweep. Hey, at least they made out with that $2 toaster (normal retail value: $6) and a story about “that time when someone roundhouse kicked [them] in the head ... from behind.”

When the weather drops and the lights go up, it’s a sign that Christmas is around the corner. But those engaging in the holiday light tradition should worry about more than just watching where they step while scaling the roof to hang the season emblems. According to one Cornell researcher, many light sets contain high levels of lead.

Prof. Joseph Laquatra, design and environmental analysis, headed the study, which found that some lead levels in Christmas light sets exceed limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development on floors and windowsills.