3 Ways To Have Holly Jolly (And Safe) Christmas

When the Starbucks cups turn red, you know it’s that time of year—the best time. Christmas is just around the corner and even the grumpiest goose has holiday cheer spilling out of his pores. We can’t help it; there’s just something about the holiday season that lifts our spirits and puts us in a great mood. Perhaps it’s the yummy treats, or the joy of finding the perfect gift for a loved one, or even the extra vacation days. Regardless, we all have something that we look forward to during the holidays.

Unfortunately, when I say “we all,” I really do mean everyone, including crooks. It’s true, these low lives look forward to the holiday season just as much as we do, except their reasons are much less admirable. See, all that holiday cheer we mentioned earlier has a strange way of causing people to let their guard down and pay less attention to certain dangers that could hurt them.

To help you avoid a dangerous situation, we’ve created a list of three ways to ensure a safe (and fun) Christmas. Check them out below!

1. Background Check Houseguests

Christmas is a time when people to come together to celebrate. So if you’re hosting any sort of event at your house (dinner, parties, etc.) then you should be cautious about who you invite into your home. Obviously you know your friends, or at least we hope you do! But friends usually bring along other friends or a new person they’re dating, so it’s these unknowns that you need to worry about.

The best way to make sure you’re not inviting any bad apples into your home is to look up expected guests. You’ll get a background report that can show you if someone is hiding any dark secrets, such as prior arrests or criminal convictions. You definitely don’t want these folks in your home!

2. Beware Of Package Snatchers

Stealing packages off doorsteps is seriously low, even for crooks. But since these creeps have no moral compass, they go ahead and do it anyway. If you’re doing this year’s Christmas shopping online, then more power to you because that means you get to avoid the nightmare that is the mall. However, you could still run into a world of problems if your awesome gifts are delivered to your doorstep only to be snatched up by scumbag criminals looking to score free stuff.

Luckily, this situation is easily avoidable, and all you have to do choose the “Signature required for delivery” option when filling out your shipping information. By doing this, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that if you’re not home, your packages won’t be left out in the open.

3. Keep Your Vacation Plans On The DL

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year for travel. People leave town left and right to visit family and friends for Christmas, and others use the extra time off to go on a much-needed vacay. Hey, there’s no shame in treating yourself to a little holiday R&R! Regardless of why you’re leaving town, it’s extremely important that you keep your travel plans on the down low. Don’t blast social media updates about your upcoming trip because you never know who’s watching.

Thieves and burglars love social media because people always seem to post about their vacation, which is pretty much an announcement that their home will be empty for an extended period of time. So, to ensure the safety of your home and your belongings while you’re away, just keep the details of your plans off the web, and wait until you get back to brag about your awesome trip.

Do YOU have any other tips for people to stay safe during the holidays? Let us know in the comments!

Ashley Welter is a blogger from San Diego, CA. She specializes in writing about ways to stay safe and avoid danger during the holiday season.