Home Security Tips for the Holidays
“Eager thieves troll social media to see when people are going to be out of town.”
🎄Be Discreet on Social Media
🎄Use USPS Online Services
🎄Post Security Signs Outside Your Home
Visible security measures let someone approaching your property know that your home is protected and monitored.
If you have an alarm system, security cameras or video doorbell, display legitimate security signs or decals where they can be easily seen. These visible reminders work best when they are backed by real security measures throughout the property.
Before the holidays begin, test your system. Make sure exterior cameras are recording properly, motion alerts are reaching your phone, batteries are charged and camera lenses are clean. Test door and window sensors and make sure everyone in your household knows how to arm and disarm the alarm.
Exterior lighting is another valuable security layer. Pay particular attention to entrances, driveways, garage doors, walkways, side yards and darker areas around the property. Motion-activated lights can immediately illuminate someone approaching your home.
Do not overlook the garage. Keep the garage door closed when you are not actively using it, and lock the door between an attached garage and the house. Avoid leaving garage-door remotes visible inside vehicles parked outside.
Outdoor tools and ladders should also be secured. A ladder left beside the house or tools stored openly near a shed can give someone equipment they can use to access windows, doors or other parts of the property.
Security works best in layers. Good locks, lighting, cameras, alarms and visible signs all reinforce one another.
🎄Don’t Let Your Trash Advertise Valuables
“A popular holiday crime scam has the burglar posing as someone looking for donations and knocking on front doors.”
🎄Keep Gifts Out of View
🎄Keeping Pets and Children Safe
In our previous article, Holiday Party Safety Tips. we briefly touched on some of the hazards to children and pets that come with the holidays and it’s worth mentioning again. Home security also means protecting the people and animals inside your home.
Holiday decorations, food, plants, visitors and open doors can introduce hazards that are not normally part of your household routine.
Start with your Christmas tree and decorations. Place fragile ornaments where young children and pets cannot easily reach them, and secure the tree if there is a chance it could be pulled or knocked over.
Tinsel, ribbon and similar string-like decorations deserve special attention around pets. If swallowed, they can cause dangerous intestinal problems. Batteries, electrical cords and broken ornaments should also be kept out of reach.
Holiday food creates additional risks. Chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic and foods containing xylitol can be dangerous to pets.
Plain, boneless turkey may be safe for many pets in small amounts, but cooked bones, fatty scraps, skin and heavily seasoned foods should stay off their plate. Cooked bones can splinter, while rich holiday foods can cause serious digestive problems.
Holiday plants deserve attention too. Poinsettias can cause mouth and stomach irritation. Holly and mistletoe can also cause illness if eaten. True lilies are especially dangerous in homes with cats. Several species can cause severe kidney damage even after relatively small exposures.
Guests can create another security concern. Visitors may accidentally leave doors open, place medications or purses within reach or feed pets foods you normally avoid. Let guests know any household safety rules they need to follow, particularly if you have small children, pets or animals that may try to slip through an open door.
🎄Be Mindful of Fire Hazards
December is the deadliest month when it comes to electrical fires. Before plugging in lights, inspect every strand for damage. Look for frayed wires, cracked insulation, loose connections or damaged plugs, and follow the manufacturer's limits for how many strands can be connected together.
Pay particular attention to these common holiday fire risks:
• Turn decorative lights off before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Keep live Christmas trees watered daily and remove them once they become dry.
• Keep trees, garlands, wrapping paper and other decorations at least three feet from fireplaces, space heaters, radiators and heat vents.
• Place candles in sturdy holders and keep them well away from curtains, greenery, paper and other flammable materials.
• Never leave a burning candle unattended. Flameless battery-operated candles are a practical option around children, pets and busy holiday gatherings.
• Fully extinguish fireplace fires before leaving the house or going to bed, and keep stockings, gifts and decorations away from the flames.
Your safety equipment deserves attention too. Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms throughout the home before the holiday season gets busy. Replace batteries when needed and check the manufacturer's guidance so you know when an alarm itself is due for replacement.
Holiday fire safety is mostly about removing easy opportunities for something to ignite. A quick inspection of your lights, tree, candles, fireplace and alarms can prevent a small oversight from becoming a serious emergency.
🎄The Takeaway
Holiday home security is about staying one step ahead of preventable problems.
Protect your deliveries, keep valuables out of sight, secure every entrance, use your security equipment, control what you share online and pay attention to the additional hazards that come with decorations, visitors and travel.
You can't control everything that happens around your home, but you can make your property a much harder target and create a safer environment for the people and animals you care about.
Make security part of your holiday preparation, then enjoy the season with confidence knowing you have taken practical steps to protect what matters most.
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