Increase Your Home Security During the Christmas Season

by Joseph Nykoluk

Home security has been a growing issue for some time now. Much has been written about it. The Christmas season is also the time when more people are concerned about the security of their home than at any other time of year.

T'is the season to be jolly, but t'is the season when you should be most on guard. Christmas holidays are when burglars are especially busy. It is the time when, in many cases, stealing your valuable property is like stealing candy from a baby.

The two worst days for breakins are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. More homes are empty during this time because the families from several homes congregate into a single home. Christmas gatherings can tend to be quite large sometimes. A burglar just needs to pick and choose. It's like shooting ducks in a barrel.

We've read the newspapers several times of homes that have been ransacked on Christmas Eve with all their expensive Christmas presents stollen, never to be returned. On top of your other worldly possessions, the stolen gifts are like icing on a cake.

If you have a good home security alarm sytem installed, you're certainly better off than if you didn't have one at all. Just remember that burglars can be very clever and quite sophisticated in their methods of approach.

Even if you don't have an alarm system installed, there are still things you can do to protect your home when you're out visiting relatives during Christmas.

• Tip 1 - * Ask if a neighbor can park their car in your driveway while you are out visiting.
• Tip 2 - * Certainly leave a couple of lights on in the house, but better to have timers hooked up to each light to go on and off at certain times. Keep in mind that you don't want this to happen 24 hours a day. An astute crook will know something is amiss.
• Tip 3 - * Burglars want to be like water. They look for the path of least resistance. They want a fast and easy escape route incase something goes wrong. By displaying your Christmas tree through the front window, burglars know there are probably gifts under the tree. This makes it quite tempting for them to break your window to steal the presents because they know they can get out fast. Even if you do have a good alarm system, a good crook will be in and out within just a few minutes.

  If you don't really like this tip, then try not displaying presents unless and until you know you won't be going anywhere.



• Tip 4 - * If you are going to be on an extended Christmas vacation, cancel your newspapers for the duration and have a neighbor take care of your mail and keep your front yard from clutter. Don't advertise the fact you're not home.
• Tip 5 - * I know this is obvious but many people just don't learn. DO NOT hide any keys anywhere near your front door; or back door for that matter. The convenience of having your home broken into is not worth it. A good burglar knows your weaknesses and takes advantage of it.
• Tip 6 - * This should probably be the first tip. Having good strong doors and windows with high quality locks will keep many would be burglars away from your property. I'm not saying you're house won't be broken into; I am saying that burglars prefer easy entrances over harder ones. The more difficult you make it for them, the better it is for you.
• Tip 7 - * Many a homeowner who decide to go away on vacation still leave messages on their answering machines that sound like - " Hi, I'm away on vacation and won't be back until....please leave a message". Don't be dumb. As stated earlier, do not advertise that you're away for any reason except to trusted individuals.
• Tip 8 - * Here's another biggie. How many of you still throw your boxes outside after you've opened all your Christmas presents? Many still do. Cut your boxes up or discard them in some way that no one can know what you got for Christmas by looking at your discarded boxes. For larger boxes, cut one side and fold it inside out. Any markings that may show it's previous contents will be hidden from view. After folding, tie the bundle up. If you have a recycling program, put the folded boxes outside on the day of pickup.
• Tip 9 - * The Christmas season also means many homeowners are outside putting up Christmas lights. Many homes do not have an outside electrical outlet close to where they need it. Consequently they will feed an extension cord through a basement window. Skilled burglar's look for this because they know that if a cord is visible then the window cannot be locked and secured.
• Tip 10 - * If you decide to go visit the neighbors for a quick Christmas "greeting", lock up completely. Burglars only need a few minutes to ransack your house. Do not give them ANY opportunity.
• BONUS TIP No. 11 - * I got this tip today (Jan. 18, 2007) from a guy I just met. His good friend used to do B & E's (break & enter) until he got busted. He said that the first thing many burglars look for are pets. If he sees any pets through the front window, he won't go there at all, thinking that someone just might be home.
  
  He added that if you do have a cat or dog, to make sure they have clear access to the outside view from the windows, especially the bigger front windows. Although there are still occurances where burglars confront their unsuspecting homeowners while in the process of their invasion, the rule they mostly use is "stealth" - they DO NOT want anyone to know what they are doing.

Christmas is a very joyful time of year. It is a time for sharing and celebrating. It is also the time when we become more vulnerable than any other time of year. You can still enjoy the holiday spirit, but do so by becoming and staying vigilant. A burglar can take all your enjoyment of Christmas away if you let them.

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