Avoid Holiday Theft (and Kids from Seeing Gifts!)

The holidays are my favorite time of the year! But they’re packed full of fun gatherings and events which means your family is more likely to be out and about in the evenings and may not be home to receive packages. Theft is also notoriously high through the holiday season and can put a damper on your gift giving and spoil the spirit of the season, if you’re not careful.

With more and more trends towards shopping online, that means more packages shipped right to your door and more chances for the bad guys, and your kids, to spot those gifts and snatch them up before you can. We’re here to share our top tips to help avoid holiday theft and protect your home and incoming deliveries.

This post is sponsored by Blink for Home. All opinions are my own.  

Tips to Avoid Holiday Theft

1. Monitor Your Home with Blink Home Security – The easiest way to protect your home is with a home security system including hi-def cameras to catch any package theft and secure your home even when you’re away.

Blink for Home makes it a cinch to setup your home with their indoor and outdoor cameras. With their wire-free and inexpensive approach where there are NO expensive monthly contracts it’s the perfect choice.

We were able to install our Blink home security cameras in under 5-minutes per camera and now alerts come in right to my phone with captured clips I can download and save to my device. The cameras record both video and sound and they have impressive night footage as well.

I love that I get an alert on my phone when the mailman comes by with packages before he’s even rung my doorbell. The alerts are quick, which lets me see right away who’s at the door and if it’s “safe” to let my little helper come to the door with me to retrieve any boxes.

We made a fun little video to show you our experience with Blink for Home, starring my cute 3 year old.

2. Track Deliveries – Knowing what’s coming and being prepared for what packages you should expect on your doorstep each day can really help you be aware of arrival dates and take immediate action if something goes missing.

A few years ago, the major mail delivery companies started offering tools that will let you know what packages are coming within a couple of days and customize your deliveries by changing the delivery day or holding them at their local office when you may not be able to be home for delivery for certain important packages. These tools are a great resource for avoiding holiday theft.

3. Keep Tabs on Your Shopping & Deliveries – Jot down expected deliveries on a notepad or in a spreadsheet so you can be aware of what items have shipped, what things are set to arrive, and know what is likely to need special care and attention when it arrives.

The delivery tracking tools are a great first step, but keeping your own records will help you know what will actually be included inside those packages and when they’re likely to arrive as sometimes the labeling is confusing and you may not know what the tracking websites are referring to. This also helps you keep tabs on what gifts are on their way that need to be discreetly hidden and tucked away before the are discovered by the recipient.

4. Be Part of a Neighborhood Watch – Get to know your neighbors and help look out for each other. If you see anything suspicious you can let those around you know and others can help alert you if they notice something that doesn’t seem right. You use a tool like Nextdoor to communicate or simply start a Facebook group to help connect with the neighbors and be a part of the solution.

5. Ship to a Family Member’s Address – If you have important packages for the holidays and you know you won’t be able to be home to accept delivery, consider shipping to a friend or family members address who live nearby. If you know someone who works from home or is retired and more flexible with their schedule they can be a great asset to help you safely receive packages or help you hide gifts that you won’t be hidden by an exterior box during shipping.

How Blink for Home Helps the Holidays

Keeping your property and packages safe is a perfect first reason to consider purchasing Blink Home Security cameras. But these small and convenient cameras can do much more than just watch your boxes arrive. They can alert you of suspicious behavior on your property including break-ins and vandalism.

You can catch package damages right on film. Your delivery man will likely be working long hours with the increase of mail through Christmas and that can lead to taking shortcuts and not treating your packages properly. Catching damages on film can help you rectify damaged gifts and protect your investments.

You’ll love the extra peace of mind when you’re able to check in on your home even while you’re away or traveling for the holidays. The Blink Home Security cameras not only send you motion alerts, but you can at any time click the camera option for a still image picture of what your camera sees or the video option to see a live shot from your camera.

The Blink for Home system can also help you keep an eye on your loved ones and track when your children get home from school, where they go and who they’re leaving with, and even the late-night sneaking out can be caught and monitored!

And finally, you’ll be able to catch those secret elves passing out treats so you can thank them properly, or return the favor! The Blink for Home security system will be the best investment you make for your home and family this holiday season, and you’ll be surprised by just how affordable it is to get started with your own home security needs.

Learn more about Blink for Home and additional helpful resources around package theft awareness at blinkforhome.com.

What do you do to help keep your packages and deliveries safe from theft?