Security experts say there are some simple ways to protect your home. If you're headed out of town don't let an answering machine message reveal your extended absence.
And don't advertise your whereabouts on Facebook or Twitter, and advise your family to do the same.
Even if you're only going as far as the mall for last-minute shopping, be extra careful, like not making your tree and gifts so visible from the outside of your home.
And don't let empty boxes pile up.
"Break them down, get them ready for recycling so they can be wrapped up and taken away, preferably before you leave on vacation," Todd Morris said.
Security experts say boxes outside can be a sign to thieves that there are pricey new gifts, inside.
