Deck the Halls With Holiday Preparedness
OutdoorHub Reporters 11.02.18
When the weather begins to cool and the leaves begin to fall, we all start thinking about the holiday season. Some people love these days set aside to take a break and spend with family, others hate them. No matter where you fall on the spectrum they are coming and there are a few considerations you should make as these holiday’s approach.
With the sales ads and the discounts also come the criminals and the scam artists. The holidays are a time of the year when the vulnerable are sought out and taken advantage of. We see it every year. Whether we are talking about the muggings in the parking lot, the hacking of customer databases or the increase in breaking an entering, criminals love the holiday season, too!
Awareness
Whether we are talking about situational awareness or self-awareness, it all goes hand in hand when talking about the holiday season. You are going to find yourself in the presence of wild and erratic people. This means on the road, in the stores and even at work.
While the holiday’s can be a magical time of year, they are also terribly stressful. Not only should you be aware of your surroundings and those people near you, you should also look at yourself and see how you are acting. It’s very easy for us to assume that everyone else is the problem and sometimes we can benefit from a little self-awareness mixed in with situational awareness.
Travel
Holidays and travel go hand in hand here in America. The days of staying home with the fire burning and eating dinner are over. Some people travel up the entire East coast to get to their relatives. It’s a serious commitment.
The struggle with holiday travel is that you are limited in what you can take. You just cannot take all of your preps on the road. In fact, if the state you are visiting doesn’t recognize your CCW permit even traveling with a firearm can be a hassle.
Packing a serious get home bag, cash and having a plan to get home or somewhere safe is critical in all this holiday travel.
Cyber Security
There was a time when putting your credit card information on the internet seemed like the absolute worst thing you could do. Only the most radical proponents of technology were making online purchases. Fast forward to present day and everyone is buying online. Amazon is the biggest store ever and they don’t own a single brick and mortar!
Cyber security is a serious consideration when it comes to daily life and especially during the holidays
- Close down old accounts
- Change passwords frequently
- Update social media privacy settings
- Do not shop on public WIFI networks
- When shopping online only do business with vetted online sellers
I know its just another layer of stuff that you need to do but you will hate yourself if your card or account gets frozen during the holidays. It can happen to anyone and every year we see it happen to thousands of people, or more!
Home Security
Tis the season to be sharing and the bad guys would love to share in all the expensive things you are storing in your home. Break ins go up during the holidays for this reason exactly. What is most interesting is that most break-ins happen from 10am to 3pm.
Just that bit of information can help you understand what you are up against.
Deterrents are the best method you can use to keep your home safe through the holidays. I like to think of home security deterrents as a series of concentric circles that start at the street you live on. You can affect home theft from the literal pavement of the street you live on.
The look of your home and what you present to those who pass by can make all the difference. Now, you don’t have to hang flags up outside that say things like:
TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT
Lets look at some other, more reasonable, methods of deterring people from choosing your home as a target.
- Visibility of the Home
- Lighting
- Dogs
- In Home Presence
- Cars in the Driveway
- Cameras on the Home
- Locks on Doors and Windows
Another important thing to consider is what you throw away during the holiday season. You can tell a lot about a person and what they have by what they put in their trash.
Prepping Gifts!
Now is the time of year that people ask you that awful question:
“What do you want?”
After you reach a certain age it becomes painfully obvious that you don’t want anything and of the things that you may want, you certainly don’t want anyone buying those things for you.
If you have insistent gift buyers to deal with just be honest and direct them to prepping supplies. You can also tell them to offer up gift certificates if you are in the market for something very personal like a bag, firearm or clothing. However, if you are looking for a particular water filter type, tell them its what you want.
Gift time can help your family’s preparedness without them even knowing it.
Conclusion
The holidays are some of the most powerful times of the year. We move closer to family and closer to got than normal. Even if you try to deny it, there is real power in those two things. No matter the holidays you celebrate they all put us in a position to stop and take a breath for a moment.
The lead up to these precious holidays can be nothing short of mayhem. Truly. From the mad house shopping malls to the homegrown monsters who lurk in the parking lots of those shopping malls, the holidays require your full attention.
To simplify what we discussed, you need only make yourself less of a target then the next person. Its not about being the most prepared in the crowd, its simply about looking less like a victim than most of the other people.
Get out and enjoy the holiday season to the fullest. Just be prepared!
