Each year more than 100 million Americans travel for the year-end holidays. Moreover, insurance claims peak toward the end of the year, mostly due to holiday travels and all of the valuable gifts left behind at home. By following these mischief-deferring tips, you can protect yourself and your belongings this holiday season.

1. Lock it up. In other words, hide the bundle of toys. Does anything compare to the magical excitement of waking up to the calm majesty of Christmas morning to open presents? Lots of you will likely be engaging in this festive frenzy before hopping in the car to visit your extended family and friends. But before leaving, if your family is anything like mine, there is a time-honored tradition of placing the opened gifts back under the tree, crafting a holiday shrine of generosity and happy memories. While this ritual is inexplicably satisfying, it’s best to place your gifts, treasure, and holiday cash out of sight. A safer place is in your car’s trunk, or a lockbox, or a hidden secure place inside your home. As far as intruders and burglars are concerned, let them believe the Grinch stole Christmas before they have the chance to.
2. Install deadbolts. These handy, inexpensive locks will complement the other locks on your doors, and have an added layer of security due to the design and locking mechanism. Without the correct key, opening the door will be tougher, creating a stronger resistance to intruders. Today, deadbolts can be mechanical or digital, but both traditional and smart deadbolts will do the trick when it comes to an extra layer of protection.
3. Reinforce sliding doors. By measuring the space of the track, you can easily cut down a metal or wooden rod to brace the door, so that your sliding door is extra secure in case the lock is compromised.
4. Sign for all deliveries. It’s the most wonderful time of the year – until your packages get stolen. Packages that are left on your doorstep can invite theft. But, you can take simple precautions to minimize this. FedEx and USPS will allow you to set times for delivery for a time when you know you will be home. And UPS suggests signing up for a service called “UPS My Choice,” which allows you to request your packages to be held[…]

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