It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Mistletoe hung, hearts aglow, presents wrapped and cozy under the tree–police reports following devastating burglaries…
Wait, what?! That last one just doesn’t belong.
Unfortunately, amidst all the holiday cheer and Christmas cookies, the holiday season is prime break-in season for many burglars. With your home filled with shiny new presents and holiday savings–and your house left vacant for hours or days at a time while you’re off celebrating and kissing Santa Clause–it’s important to take extra measures to protect your home from burglars during the holiday season.
To keep your home safe and your heart filled with holiday glee, start by filling your stockings with these 8 tips on how to protect your home from burglary this holiday!
1. Put Your Valuables Away
These days, many of us often neglect to store our valuables in a safe enough place, even when we’re around the house daily. Whether you’re simply tossing your valuable belongings into a tote under the bed, or you’re investing in a safe for under the basement stairs, it’s important to stow your important belongings away when you leave for the holidays.
Keep in mind the fact that the sock drawer is a popular target for burglars, but you can start by looking in through your own windows. Can you see your valuables from there? Take care to stow them away as securely as you can; at the very least, get them out of plain sight.
2. Unload Gifts Inside the Garage
The definition of burglar-bait? Carrying in that 75-inch television for Dad, leaving Mom’s new Alexa console waiting in the driveway! To be extra-safe this holiday season, be discreet when unloading holiday gifts out in the open.
Refrain from flaunting your awesome holiday gifts to the neighborhood by pulling the car into the garage and unloading there. If you haven’t got an attached garage, consider waiting until nighttime when things aren’t so visible, and maybe use another of the family’s cars to block the gifts from view.
3. Lock it Up — and Down
It may seem like a silly reminder to lock your doors when you leave during the holiday season-I mean, you already do that! But one thing lots of us forget to do, and even more of us forget to double-check is to ensure every door and window is locked tight.
Over 30% of break-ins occur by entrance from an unlocked window. Just because you’re “pretty sure” a burglar wouldn’t think to check on that upstairs window doesn’t mean you should leave it unlocked. It’ll take 10 minutes to do a lap around your house; a tiny sacrifice compared to the necessary repairs following a break-in.
4. Have Safe and Secret Travels
You know the super-neat Facebook feature where you can check into a specific location and share every detail about your trip, like how many family members are away from your home, and how long your home will be empty…? Leave that feature alone this holiday season.
Broadcasting your absence to the whole neighborhood and beyond is a terrible idea at any point, but especially so during the holidays, when your neighborhood may be emptier than usual. Keep quiet about your travels; tell only those who need to know. You can share about your adventures after you’ve made it back home!
5. Don’t Let the Mail Pile Up
Even if you do manage to keep quiet on social media and at the neighborhood potluck, a telltale sign of an extended holiday vacation could be anything as simple as letting the paper pile up on the doorstep, or the mail in the mailbox.
It only takes a minute to call and have your mail or newspaper held at the post office. Take care to think of your daily and weekly chores, and consider whether or not there are any daily upkeep tasks that might go noticed if neglected. Remember, burglars can be extremely observant of even the littlest changes in the state of your home.
6. Install Timers
Speaking of things burglars might notice…why hasn’t your kitchen light gone on at all in the last two days? Don’t you usually flip on the garage lights for a few hours each evening? And what the heck?! Is your TV broken?!
A house that appears completely still for an extended period of time can quickly become a target for observant burglars. Installing timers on different lights and technologies throughout your home, however, gives the appearance of life and movement within your home. For just a few dollars, this simple fix can be the difference between security and robbery.
7. Recruit a Neighbor
While some of us will likely spend at least part of the holiday season out of town or celebrating at loved ones’ homes, there’s usually someone around who could be drafted as an every-other-day watcher. This will aid your peace-of-mind as much as it will the actual security of your home, and you’ll be able to be on top of things if anything goes wrong back home.
Bribing a friend or neighbor with a plate of cookies and jug of eggnog could be just the touch watchful burglars need to stay away-after all, your home isn’t really even empty…
8. Invest in a Security System
There’s perhaps no better defense (besides staying home and keeping your own watchful eye trained on every potential entrance to your home) for your home over the holiday season than investing in a reliable, high-quality security system.
From fully-equipped security systems to sneaky and effective spy cameras like the ones you can view here, investing in a security system for your home can aid your peace-of-mind for years to come. Many burglars won’t even think of infiltrating a home they know to be guarded by a solid security system — so your stockings and the angel on the tree will be safe and sound all season long.
Want More on How to Protect Your Home From Burglary this Holiday?
There may be few occurrences less jolly than coming home from a rousing night of caroling or celebrating the holidays with loved ones than finding that your home has been infiltrated by burglars.
This holiday season, take care to ensure that your family won’t be subject to a blue Christmas. Take these 8 tips on how to protect your home from burglary into consideration, and check out our page for more holiday tips!
