Keeping Your Home Safe This Holiday Season

KEEPING YOUR HOME SAFE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
While the December holidays evoke a spirit of peace on Earth and goodwill toward all, not everyone embraces that philosophy, so just to be sure, it makes sense to take a few extra steps to keep your home and your loved ones safe this upcoming season.
We’ve become pretty well-schooled in the idea of having packages delivered to our offices if no one is going to be home, or having a neighbor bring in any parcels that are left unattended on our porches or by our front doors. You don’t want items stolen any time of the year, but particularly when these are intended to be gifts. However, your precaution shouldn’t stop there.
Most folks like to display their Christmas tree in front of a living room window where they can be enjoyed not just by family members, but by neighbors and folks passing in front of your home. But if you’ve also placed gifts under the tree, this inadvertently creates an invitation to burglars. Better to either keep the gifts hidden elsewhere or move your tree to a spot away from windows or other places with a view.
If you will be traveling during the holidays, it’s best to notify a trusted neighbor or engage a reputable housesitter to keep an eye on your property while you are away. Arrange to have someone shovel your walks if it snows in your absence, and rather than discontinuing your mail or newspaper delivery, which can be a signal that no one will be at home, have someone collect these and keep them safe for you until your return. Put a few lights on a timer, or better yet, have a friend or neighbor come over to leave on different lights on different nights so that a “pattern” isn’t readily obvious to anyone who might be checking out your place.
In this age of oversharing of information on social media, keep your travel plans offline. Don’t post that you’ll be out of town, or where you are going, or for how long.
One of the best deterrents, of course, is to install a home security system that triggers alarms and that can alert you to any suspicious activity taking place, no matter where you may be when it occurs. Some of these systems are easily installed with a minimum of fuss; others—hardwired security, for instance—can present more of a challenge, and may require the assistance of a professional service such as Handyman Matters who have Craftsmen well-versed in such installations.
There’s a lot of things going on this time of year that require our attention; worrying about the security of our home shouldn’t have to be one of them.