DECEMBER 23RD
Monday:
This week, we focus on safety and family fun at Christmas. We attend school concerts, church, and other holiday activities.
1. Begin leaving your outdoor lights on all night long. If you leave for the holidays, there will be no change in the pattern of your lighting, and thieves hate light. We’ve seen thieves breaking into the homes of athletes in the past few weeks. Why are they so successful? They know the team schedules. Do you attend church services on Christmas Eve? This is a cherished tradition for many families, and thieves know that.
2. Do not leave a hide-a-key outside if you’ll be gone. Thieves are really good at finding them.
3. Close the blinds at night so thieves can’t see the gifts under your tree. Don’t place gifts where they can be seen through the window if someone comes to the door.
4. A dead giveaway that you’re not home? A decked-out home with lights and inflatables turned off. If you have strung-up lights or inflatables, they should be on timers.
5. Arrange for someone to shovel the snow while you are away.
6. Consider your garage’s weaknesses. The garage has some weak points that may make it easy for an intruder to get in. If you park your car in the driveway, don’t keep the garage opener in your car; keep it in the house or in your purse. Cover garage windows so a thief cannot tell if the car is inside. Only use a deadbolt lock to secure the doors into the garage and from the garage into the house—and always use them.
7. Always lock your home's doors and windows, even if you are only planning on being gone for a few minutes.
8. Packages are often left by the front door at this time of year. If the package has been mailed through the post office, the carrier may also leave your mail with the package at the door. If you are expecting a package, please watch for it, have your neighbors watch for it, or have it delivered to a friend or neighbor who is home during the day. If you have many packages delivered, ask the UPS, FedEx, or other drivers to drop them at the back door or behind a gate where they can't be seen.
9. Do not obscure the view from your windows with yard decorations.
Tuesday:
It’s Christmas Eve! If you are having a party or attending one, remember:
1. Remind guests to lock their cars, remove valuables, or place valuables in the trunk.
2. Stay alert for suspicious-looking strangers in your neighborhood. Write down a description of the person and vehicle, and call the police immediately.
Keep Foods Safe:
Serve foods in several small dishes or platters rather than on huge platters.
Keep the rest of the food in your oven (set at 200-250°F) or cold in the refrigerator until serving to ensure foods remain at safe temperatures for a longer period of time.
Replace empty platters with clean dishes rather than adding food to a dish that already had food on it, limiting the possibility of contaminating the newly added foods.
Two-Hour Rule: Food should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Throw out anything left out for two hours or more. To extend the amount of time foods will remain safe, keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
Use chafing dishes, warming trays, or slow cookers to keep hot foods hot.
Keep the covers on hot food dishes to maintain the heat.
Nest dishes in bowls of ice to keep foods cold.
Use smaller serving platters and replace them often.
Wednesday:
Merry Christmas! We often put our food out on a holiday spread and “graze” all day. Remember the rules for serving food that we discussed yesterday. Have a fantastic, safe, and healthy
Thursday:
Christmas is over, and it’s time to throw out the boxes and trash. This is an important day if you want to keep your home safe from thieves. As you discard boxes, be sure to cut them down and place them in trash cans. If you have a separate recycling bin, cut down the boxes and place them there. Thieves love to cruise the neighborhood looking for boxes that announce a new TV, new gaming system, new computer—you get the idea. Don’t announce what shiny new things are available to steal.
Friday:
Check the sales. This is a great day to head out and take advantage of marked-down items. Why bake for New Year’s Eve if you can purchase a dessert half-off? Look for Christmas wrapping paper, themed gifts that make great stocking stuffers for next year, red and white tablecloths perfect for Valentine's Day or the Fourth of July, fabric and craft items for making gifts for next year, and Christmas-wrapped candy that’s perfect for freezing as a comfort food treat for your food storage.
Saturday:
Take time today to prepare foods for New Year’s Eve. You can make sauces and dips, cut up veggies, meats, and cheeses for a charcuterie board—so many preps are possible.