Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are joyous and festive times.

Whether you are busy baking, decorating your home or shopping for that perfect gift, the holiday shopping season went into full swing on Black Friday.

Thieves also are out shopping for that perfect gift. But instead of in stores, they are “shopping” your vehicle, front porch or inside your home.

South Whitehall Township Police Lt. Michael Sorrentino emailed The Press that “theft is a crime of opportunity; the holidays create more opportunity for theft-related offenses due to members of the public being focused on shopping for their families and the seasonal festive atmosphere.

“With the volume of traffic in the shopping areas, and the knowledge that high-value items such as electronics and other trendy gifts may be left unattended in vehicles, is a draw for those with ill intent.”

Sorrentino offers the following tips when shopping:

• Be vigilant of your surroundings;

• Report suspicious activity or persons to police;

• Park in well-lit areas at the store or mall; and

• Cover or place items of value in the trunk if the items must be left in the vehicle.

Some other tips to consider when shopping:

• Have your keys in hand when heading to your vehicle;

• If shopping late at night, take a family member or friend along;

• Leave the expensive jewelry or watches at home, as they might be an advertisement to thieves of how much wealth you have;

• Instead of carrying one large wad of cash, separate it into smaller amounts prior to going shopping; and

• Limit the number of shopping bags you carry to your vehicle at one time, so you can have one hand free.

Another big shopping day is Cyber Monday, a day when millions of Americans shop online and have the gifts shipped to their homes.

According to the National Retail Federation Cyber Monday Expectations survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics on nrf.com, 122 million Americans planned to shop online this season, up from the 121 million who planned to participate last year.

An Insurancequotes.com Dec. 2, 2015, press release titled “23 million Americans have had packages stolen from their doorstops” states “thieves are taking advantage of online shopping’s growing popularity and swiping deliveries from front porches and mailboxes before the packages reach their rightful owners.”

Upper Macungie Township Police Lt. Pete Nickischer said the police tend to see more mail and package thefts during the holiday shopping season.

“Thieves love opportunity, all year long,” Nickischer said. “If you spend your day shopping and buying gifts, and you leave those gifts in your unlocked car overnight, especially if those gifts are visible to a passerby, you have created an easy opportunity for a thief to make you a victim of a crime.

“The goal is to protect yourself and protect your valuables,” he added.

Nickischer offers the following suggestions to prevent thefts:

• Always lock the doors on your vehicle as well as removing items of value such as electronics that can be seen by people passing by; and

• Contact your local police department and ask to speak to an officer if you are a victim of a crime. The information you provide may be just enough to make an arrest.

The United States Postal Service, on Nov. 14 on usps.com, stated the postal service is projecting approximately 16 billion pieces of mail, including 750 million packages, will be delivered this holiday season.

Here are a few suggestions to consider if you plan on shopping online this holiday season:

• Never have packages delivered to your home when you are not there;

• Have packages delivered to your work or a neighbor or friend’s home, where you know someone will be able to accept them;

• When placing an order online, request that the package must be signed for;

• If you live in an apartment complex, request the package be left at the manager’s office if you are not going to be home; and

• If the packages are being shipped UPS, consider signing up for UPS Access Point service, where they will deliver your packages to a neighboring business, one you trust that will accept them for you.

Packages left unattended in a vehicle or on a front porch before the holidays are not the only items that can attract thieves.

Empty electronic and other valuable merchandise boxes left out for the garbage after the holiday season can be an advertisement to a thief as to what is inside your home.

If you receive a new piece of electronic equipment or valuable item in a box this holiday season, don’t place that empty box out for garbage pick-up; instead, cut it up and place it in a dark-colored plastic garbage bag before placing it outside.

Whether shopping at a store, at the mall or online, taking some of these safety precautions may just prevent a thief from ruining this joyous and festive time for you and your loved ones.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Joyous Kwanzaa (Habari Gani?).

Susan Bryant

editorial assistant

Parkland Press

Northwestern Press