Holiday Proof Your Home

To-do lists can get pretty long during the holidays with all of the decorating, cleaning, and gift buying involved. As a result, it’s easy to overlook important safety concerns. Take action to protect your home and family this holiday season with these easy tips!

Traveling

The holidays are a popular time to go visit friends and family, but before you load up the car, make sure your home is ready for your absence. Most importantly, don’t broadcast your planned absence on social media or on the streets because people you don’t know could easily intercept that information, break in, and wreak havoc.

When you travel, take your home security a step further by automating your lights to make it seem like someone is home. Timers are one way to accomplish this. You can also monitor your home using nanny cams, security cameras, and other devices that let you watch or listen in on the goings-on of your home.

Presents

In the closet, under the bed, and behind furniture are some of the first places a burglar (or your kids) will look for valuable Christmas gifts. Consider renting a lockbox or storage unit to keep your gifts in until Christmas Eve. If that’s not an option, store your gifts in an old cardboard box in the attic or garage instead of in shiny, appealing paper in the closet.

After the Holidays

Placing empty boxes for expensive goods on the curb for pickup is like making a shopping list for robbers. Instead, break the boxes down and put them in non-opaque trash bags or drive your Christmas boxes to the local dump yourself.