Keeping Your Home Safe During the Holidays
Keep your home safe during the holidays with these helpful tips.
The holiday season is upon us and with the holidays, there generally comes travel and gifts. Both of these can create higher risk situations at home.
The first risk is burglary. Sometimes, thieves will scope out an area and look for big packages being taken from a car into the house. When you’re away, they break in and search for the things they now know you have. If possible, close the garage door before you carry your items in, so your new purchases are not broadcast all over the neighborhood. We also tend to leave our curtains and blinds open this time of year so our Christmas trees can be seen. What can also be seen are all the belongings in your home. If you have expensive or valuable items in the rooms that are on display, it’s a good idea to put them away for the holiday season. You don’t want robbers to think they could hit the jackpot by hitting your home. On that same note, on trash pickup day, break down your boxes and put them inside the trash can. If you put the empty 50- inch TV box out at the curb you're letting everyone know what is now in your home.
The second risk is water damage. For some reason water hoses, lines, and pipes tend to break or spring a leak when you’re not home. A half-inch pipe carries about 50 gallons of water per minute. Imagine if you aren’t home for a few days or weeks, the amount of damage this could cause. The easiest way to avoid this is to turn off the water at the main line if you’re going to be gone for more than a day. If you can’t turn off the water make sure you have someone dependable checking on the home at least once a day, every day. Another solution, are home alarm companies that have water sensors. If water touches a sensor for more than a few seconds the alarm will sound off and contact the monitoring company. (This actually happened to me. An ice cube fell and went under my refrigerator, when it melted and reached the sensor the alarmed sounded off. At least we know it works!) This is a great solution if you don’t mind the small additional cost.
There you have it - a few ideas to keep your home and family happy and safe through the holidays.
-Guest Editor, Sharmen Roos, State Farm Insurance
Tips to Survive a Stressful Holiday
The Holidays are here and it’s time for some comfort and celebration on the heels of a very challenging year. While each of us prefers different amounts of festivity and relaxation, we can all agree that a bit of both is ideal. If you and your loved ones disagree on how best to strike this balance, consider using a few of the following ideas from a family therapist:
Be Proactive: Rather than trying to problem solve when you’re experiencing big emotions, consider waiting until your brain and body feels calm. This one change, changes everything.
Get Curious: We are all pretty good at expressing our own perspective, but listening can be harder. Try shifting into their perspective, asking more questions and seeking to understand.
Validate Concerns: Even if you whole-heartedly disagree, consider what the other person may be thinking and feeling, responding by finding the truth in their experience. When someone feels seen and heard, conflicts often soften.
Share Values: Get clear about your priorities, expressing what matters most to you, affirming common values and mutual respect.
Collaborate on Solutions: Get creative compromising toward workable options that take both of your perspectives into account, arriving at a mutually agreeable plan together.
Track Progress: Monitor how it’s going, celebrating successes, learning from mishaps and making adjustments as needed along the way.
The year has been tough, but the Holidays can bring some much needed comfort and joy. Wishing you and your loved ones a balance, both now and in the new year. We’ll get through this, but we don’t have to do it alone. If you or someone you know might benefit from family counseling, please reach out. I offer free phone consultations and Telehealth options.
Warmly,
Amy Guido, LCSW
Child & Adult Counseling
602-743-5299
AmyGuido.com