With the holiday season quickly approaching, remaining safe and secure in your own home may be a concern. It is a well-known fact that residential crime increases during the holidays – it gets dark earlier, homes fill up with unwrapped gifts, and burglars become more and more active.

Here are some tips to secure your home over the holidays:

Think Like a Thief
Try to take an objective look at your home and search for a way in. Did you leave a ladder outside? If so, make sure to put it away. Are there shrubs that would be ideal for hiding? Trees to climb? Dog doors? Vents? Think creatively – and be sneaky. Also, since many thief’s cut telephone lines to try and disable alarms, think about installing cellular home security monitoring.

Be Careful with Social Media
You need to be careful about what you post. You never know who is reading or looking at your social media pages. If you are planning on traveling, it is not a good idea to post about it on social media until you are back home. The fact is, criminals are quite savvy when it comes to using Facebook and other social media outlets to chart a person’s location. Make sure to share this with your children, as well.

Locks, Windows, and Doors
The back or front door are the most common points of entry for a burglar. Make sure that your doors remain locked, since up to 40 percent of burglaries take place through an unlocked window or door. Also, if you don’t have a deadbolt installed, now is the time to purchase one. Other points of entry include unlocked ground floor windows, especially ones that are on the side or in the back of the house.

Take some time to consider your home’s security. If it is not up to par, now is the time to take action. This can help ensure you have a happy holiday season.