Day 3: Porch safety
For more than half3 of all Americans, Christmas shopping includes online shopping. But each year, more than 23 million people4 report they have had packages stolen from their homes — usually right from their front porch.
You can help keep these “porch pirates” at bay with a doorbell camera. A doorbell camera notifies you and begins recording when someone comes to your porch, so you can keep an eye on who’s coming and going. The two-way talk feature also lets you communicate with the person at your door, so you can make sure package deliveries are stored somewhere safe.
Day 4: Safety with smart locks
Whether you have family visiting, kids coming home from school, or you’re hosting holiday parties, there’s a good chance you’ll have many people in and out of your house this time of year. With so many people coming and going, it’s easy to forget to lock up — unless you have smart locks for your doors.
With smart locks, you can lock or unlock your doors from anywhere via the Vivint app, set up custom actions to lock your doors at specific times, or give a temporary access code to guests so they can come and go without a key.
Day 5: Christmas light safety
One of the best ways to show off your excitement for Christmas is by decorating your home with lights. Avoid a potential fire hazard (and save energy) with these safety tips:
- Don’t use lights that have frayed wires.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and avoid stringing too many lights together.
- Set lights to turn off automatically with a timer (or even control them with your voice) with a smart lighting system or the Vivint Vivint Smart Plug.
Day 6: Remote access for lights/cameras/etc
Traveling for the holidays can be stressful if you don’t know what’s going on at home. Stay connected to your home and smart home features with the Vivint app. With the app, you can check your indoor and outdoor camera feeds, lock your doors, control your lighting, and set custom notifications no matter where you are.
Day 7: Outdoor safety
For thieves and vandals, the outside of your home can be just as tempting as the inside — especially during the holidays with extra cars parked in the driveway and Christmas decorations in the yard.
Keep a watchful eye on your property day and night with outdoor surveillance cameras. Features like HD resolution and infrared LED night vision allow you to get a clear picture of activity on your property, day or night.
Day 8: Pet safety
The holidays bring extra risks to pets. Accidental ingestion of chocolates or poisonous plants like mistletoe and poinsettias increase this time of year5, so it’s important to keep a close eye on your pets.
Make sure chocolate, seasonal plants, and visitors’ purses are stored away from pets to avoid any accidents. Indoor cameras also allow you to check on your pets or areas you want them to avoid, like the Christmas tree, and intervene if necessary.
Day 9: Food safety
No matter what holiday you celebrate, there’s no shortage of food — feasts are traditional for most holidays.
Nothing puts a damper on the holidays like a case of food poisoning, so keep these food safety tips in mind when preparing meals:
- Always wash your hands before handling food or after handling raw meat.
- Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw meat to avoid cross-contamination.
- Use a food thermometer to ensure meat is cooked to safe temperatures.
- Never leave food unattended on a stovetop.
Day 10: Carbon monoxide safety
Known as a “silent killer,” carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that can be deadly. Each year, more than 400 Americans die, and more than 24,000 are taken to the hospital6 as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.
