10 Holiday Safety Tips from Post Alarm

The holidays bring joy, travel, gift-giving, and, unfortunately, a yearly spike in property crimes, porch thefts, and home accidents. Whether you’re packing your bags to visit family or preparing to host a full house, a few proactive safety tips can go a long way in keeping your home and loved ones protected.

 

Here are Post Alarm’s top recommendations to reduce risk, prevent crime, and maintain peace of mind throughout the season.

 

Holiday Safety Tips While Traveling

The holidays are a wonderful reason to spend some time away from home and reconnect with family or friends. Whether you are traveling across the neighborhood for the day or across the country for a week, an empty home can attract unwanted attention.

 

Strong practices before you leave can help deter burglars, protect your packages, and generally lower your chance of being targeted for a crime.

1. Secure Your Home Before Traveling

At Post Alarm, we preach the Rule of 5’s when it comes to alarming your security system. That is to say: always arm your system, whether you’re leaving your home for 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days, or 5 weeks. It only takes a few short moments for a crime to occur, and short trips away from home can increase your risk of encountering an intruder if a crime is in progress. Always remember, your alarm system only works when it’s activated.

 

Additionally, make sure all doors, windows, and any other entry points are securely locked when you leave the house. And if you’ve practiced using light timers with holiday decor, consider the same with smart lights inside your home. A place that appears occupied can often be a deterrent in itself.

2. Protect Your Holiday Deliveries

Whether receiving gifts from friends and family or purchasing items yourself, the holidays typically bring an excess of deliveries to doorsteps throughout the United States. And with it comes the inevitable uptick in package thefts.

 

The United States Postal Service reported that roughly 58 million packages were stolen last year, resulting in estimated losses of $5.2-16 billion. In Los Angeles alone, the number of reported package thefts nearly doubled in December 2023.

 

With increased porch pirate activity this time of year, it’s important to consider extra delivery measures to help prevent package theft:

 

• Utilize package lockers for secure deliveries
• Require signatures for all orders
• Send deliveries to your workplace or a trusted neighbor if you know you will be away
• Utilize doorbell cameras to keep an eye on packages during delivery windows

If you know you’re going to be away for an extended period of time, you might consider holding your mail and deliveries altogether to avoid visible piles outside.

3. Don’t Advertise an Empty Home

In our current social media world, it might be tempting to share an exciting upcoming trip. But advertising an empty home for an extended period of time is a sure way to increase your risk of a burglary while you’re away.

 

Even if your profiles are set to private or friends and family, it’s just not worth the risk. You might tell a trusted neighbor you’ll be away so they can keep an eye on your property and any package deliveries. After all, building safer communities often begins with simply maintaining better connections with your neighbors. Save travel photos and location-tagged posts for when you return.

4. Consider Live Video Monitoring

Upgrading your existing security system to include professionally designed camera systems and even live video monitoring, which add a strong layer of deterrence and provide crucial evidence should something happen while you’re away.

 

Plus, you get the added peace of mind and benefits that come with professionally monitored cameras, like:

 

• Advanced analytics that provide enhanced detection for identifying and addressing potential security threats
• Remote viewing options to watch live camera feeds and check in on your home from any smart device
• Real-time alerts and push notifications let you take immediate action in the event of an intrusion or trespass

5. Vacation Watch Services

If your security company provides patrol services, consider inquiring about vacation watch. Beyond the visible deterrence and immediate response to alarm events, professional security patrol services often provide additional check-ins upon special request to verify that your home and property are secure while you are away.

6. Document Valuables Before You Leave

Finally, documenting your valuables before you leave helps you proactively protect their value. Quickly photograph important items (electronics, jewelry, tools) and store them in a secure cloud folder. While you shouldn’t be riddled with the anxiety that you’ll be robbed while away, it’s simple and incredibly useful if you ever need to file a police report or insurance claim.

Holiday Safety Tips While Hosting

There’s no place like home for the holidays. But when you’re hosting gatherings, there’s certainly “more” of everything. More people in the house, more cooking, more decor, more deliveries, and potentially more risk in general.

 

Use these tips to help keep gatherings safe, secure, and stress-free.

7. Stay Alert While Cooking

Holiday meal prep brings a major spike in kitchen fires. The American Red Cross sees an annual house fire spike of nearly 20% during the months of November and December.

 

Keep your kitchen safe this season by:

 

• Never leaving cooking unattended
• Keeping flammables (like towels, decorations, and loose clothing) away from burners
• Use timers to stay on track, especially with added conversation and visiting
• Test your fire alarm systems and replace any old batteries

8. Keep Decorations Safe

Holiday lighting, candles, and dry Christmas trees can all become hazards if left unchecked. Make sure the serene setting you’ve worked hard to build stays fire-free:

 

• Keep Christmas trees at least 3 feet away from any heat sources
• Inspect light strands for damage or faulty lights
• Avoid overloaded outlets and using too many extension cords
• Never plug an extension cord into another extension cord
• Always unplug electronic decorations before bed or utilize timers
• Never leave candles burning unattended or overnight

9. Watch for Follow-Home or Shopping-Related Theft

Thieves often watch shoppers leaving malls or boutiques with high-value items. Keep purchases out of sight, avoid leaving bags in your car, and stay aware of your surroundings — especially after dark.

 

Practice safe habits when arriving back home to guard against follow-home robberies:

 

• Stay mindful of your surroundings throughout your journey when arriving home.
• Review any alarm and video push notifications before pulling into your driveway to make sure there’s no criminal activity/trespassing.
• Never remotely unlock your front door or disarm your system until you’re sure it’s safe to do so.
• Don’t leave your garage door remote in your vehicle, even if you’re parked in your driveway
• Park vehicles securely, hide valuables, and avoid leaving expensive purchases visible, especially overnight or if guests come and go.

10. Hide Gifts (and Break Down Packaging)

Don’t advertise all those brand new valuables! A pile of gift boxes — especially from big-ticket items — can reveal exactly what’s inside your home. Break down boxes for televisions, computers, jewelry, or any other high-value gifts and recycle them off-site.

Protecting the Neighborhoods We Call Home Since 1956

When it comes to home protection, a few simple steps can make a big difference — no matter the time of year. Post Alarm is here to help keep your home safe and secure this holiday season and beyond!

 

For more than sixty years, Post Alarm has provided customers with the most advanced and reliable security solutions available. As a privately held, local, third-generation family business, Post has provided alarm and patrol services to Southern California communities, neighborhoods, and homeowners since 1956.

 

Our family founded Post Alarm with a passion for protecting people and the neighborhoods we call home. Now, we’re one of the few local, full-service security organizations in Southern California, providing professionally installed, fully integrated, and customized security solutions that enable earlier threat detection and a synchronized response, getting you help faster when it matters most.

 

Ready to start building your custom video monitoring and security package? Reach out and get a free security quote today!