Keep Thieves and Vandals Away from Holiday Decorations!
Call them Scrooge or the Grinch or just call them what they are – criminals. While it may just feel like horseplay or mischief to them, stealing or vandalizing holiday decorations is a crime.
According to a study by an insurance provider, 22.6 million Americans have had their holiday decorations stolen or vandalized.
Sometimes these crimes are premeditated – a group just wants to have some “fun” at the expense of a family’s decorations. Sometimes it is just a crime of opportunity. They drive by and see a cool reindeer or Santa and grab it and throw it in the car. Either way, the result is a very disappointed homeowner. And if they have children, it is very hard to explain why someone would do that.
What are they doing?
Sometimes they are stealing holiday decorations because they want them for themselves. These people come into a neighborhood not near their own so they can use the items at home and not risk them being recognized as stolen. Other times they are taking them just for the thrill of it and dumping them a few houses down or a couple of blocks away.
New projector based decorations have attracted the attention of thieves in recent years. These devices project images on to your home with festive messages or characters. They are highly portable and so are easily grabbed and taken to their “new home.”
Reports show vandals smash lights, either pulling them down and cracking them or stomping lights along sidewalks or in bushes. They cover public dispays with grafitti or rearrange them to be distaseful. Some homeowners wake up in the morning to discover their holiday inflatables were slashed in the night and no longer hold air.
While most of these crimes are for personal gain or just to be a nuisance, some motives are deeper. There have been reports of people who vandalized religious decorations because they didn’t agree with that religion or out of hate towards people who follow it.
What Can you Do?
Like with any property crime, the goal is to deter them from targeting you and your home. Here are some tips for making your decorations undesirable to thieves and vandals.
- Reinforcement – for items on display in the yard, use stakes and wire or chains to make it harder for someone to just easily run up and grab an item and go. This will also help fight the wind in cold areas.
- Attach your lights – even though it makes it slower to install and uninstall the lights on your house, use a staple gun or light clips to attach the wire for the lights to your house. This makes it almost impossible for someone to just grab them and yank them down to be destroyed.
- Seal the plugs – tape the connections between the plug for your decoration or lights and the extension cord. A thief will have to either spend time peeling off the tape, or take the whole extension cord with them! Again, this makes it harder on you when it is time to dismantle, but will deter an opportunist who doesn’t want to hang out in your yard for long.
- Jingle jangle – add to the holiday spirit by attaching bells to your decorations and even light wires so it will cause some commotion and annoy the thief if they try to grab them!
Stop them in their Tracks!
- Light it up – if you don’t keep your holiday lights on all night, at least keep your other outdoor lighting on. Darkness is the safest place for a criminal. Also consider adding motion detecting lights. These will come on when someone comes on your property. And is usually enough to startle them and keep them moving along.
- Security cameras – visible video cameras or even a video doorbell are good deterrents. No one wants to be caught on film stealing or vandalizing. Consider adding a sign in your yard, that says, “Smile for the camera” or a similar phrase. This will remind any troublemakers that someone is watching!
- Identify them – Mark your items with your name or other identifying information so if they are taken and are later found, you know they are yours.
The holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Families love to drive around and look at all the decorations and lights. Don’t let thieves and vandals ruin the holiday spirit! Cultris Security can help – if you need automated lights, a video doorbell or video survellance, call us at 281-506-8466 or visit us online.
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