With the holiday rush and swirl of festivities, it’s easy to get caught up and let your guard down. Between decorating your home, shopping for gifts and preparing a special meal, there’s a lot going on that increases your risk of something unexpected happening.
Enjoy the holidays worry-free with these safety tips
Decorations and lighting
Nothing says merry-making more than seasonal decors and lighting! Before you install anything, Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) has provided great tips on how to decorate with lights and other electronic items safely. From choosing the right lights, to identifying a Canadian-approved product, the ESA’s website provides you with a lot of good information to ensure the safety of your property.
And if you’re thinking of decorating with a real tree:
- Make sure that it’s fresh – the needles will be hard to pull off.
- Place it in a sturdy stand indoors and water it daily.
- Position it away from doorways, heating vents, radiators, stoves, fireplaces and burning candles, and in a low-traffic area.
- When the holidays are over, dispose of the tree right away.
Electronic gifts
Smartphones, laptops and tablets are popular gifts to give (and receive!) during the holidays. It’s always exciting to have a new device and more often than not, we can’t wait to set it up and start using it. But before you do, it’s important to set it up securely from the very beginning to avoid any cyber incident from happening in the future.
This involves connecting to a secure network, using a unique PIN or strong password, and many more. The Government of Canada’s Get Cyber Safe public awareness campaign has prepared an Unboxing Day guide to help you get your new devices up and running safely.
Shopping and more
We’ve been hearing in the news recently that Canadians plan to spend more during the 2024 holiday season over last year – in-store or online. Between retail store and online shopping, bank cards are extra active and parcels stack up quickly. Unfortunately, it’s also an opportunity for theft to occur. From pickpockets, car break-ins and porch pirates, to cyber scams, fake online stores and many more, we hear stories like these over the holidays that can put a damper on celebrations.
Keep in mind:
- Lock your vehicle wherever you are parked and keep valuables and gifts hidden.
- Make sure someone is home when you are expecting a parcel delivery. If not, pick an alternate delivery or pick up location.
- Lock your home doors and windows, draw window coverings closed and don’t leave gifts and any other valuable items in plain sight.
- If you’re away for the holidays, make sure your home is locked and if you have an alarm, make sure it is armed and working.
- If you’ll be away for an extended period, make sure to call your insurance broker as there may be some things you need to do to ensure your property’s safety.
There are many ways to keep safe. Here are some resources that you can look into for more information:
Government of Canada – Get Cyber Safe: https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/campaigns/cyber-safe-holidays
Government of Canada – Get Prepared: https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/sfttps/tp201312-en.aspx
Did you know?
Some insurance companies offer add-ons to home insurance policies for identity theft or cyber coverage. Contact your broker if you would like to learn more and if it is available to add to your policy.