Christmas
Care - by Carla Base
It's Christmas time and our lights and decorations
glow and twinkle! Outsiders see the beauty, and thieves watch for the
celebrators. They will be the ones with trees inside with ornaments, lights and
tinsel, presents under the tree piling ever higher as we count down the days
till Christmas. People shop and shop, wrap and drop presents in an ever
increasing pile around their trees and forget what is even inside the colorful
boxes until the month is up, and soon, the room is aglow with festivity and
beauty. Visitors are expected in every neighborhood to come and go and wear
Santa Suits, wish good cheer, show up unexpectedly and come and go with boxes,
packages wrapped beautifully and doors fly open all the time. People you never
see; friends and relatives pour into the homes and visit from out of town with
license plates from all over the country. College kids return from the
universities and nobody much notices. Consider the dangers inherrent in these
statements. What time of the year can a person wear a complete disguise and
come and go without any neighbor ever noticing? Halloween and Christmas!
Know your Santa! If you are definitely celebrating
Christmas and a tree is visible from the street in the front window, with
presents piling up more and more, windows can be shattered and gifts grabbed.
Be aware. People come and go and people don't ask "Who is it?" but
fling the door wide. Don't do it.
It will be hard not to do but it is well worth it.
When you open that TV or computer, radio or game,
smart phone or printer, know that it is advertising the product to the
criminals. If you have an appliance, an electronic product or piece of jewelry,
save the box awhile in case you must return it. Store it in a basement. When
you decide you will keep the item and it no longer requires its box, cut the
box so that words cannot be read from the cardboard to indicate what was once
inside the box. If you purchase a safe, throw a table cloth over the box before
carrying it inside, then destroy this box especially. Always mount safes and be
sure to know the combination and have it posted someplace known to you alone.
If it is empty, always leave the door ajar to indicate it is empty to all who
could see it.
Watch what garbage goes out and what is obvious from
it. Once you think about it, you are safe. Just watch what other eyes would see!