How to Keep Your Holiday Decorations From Being Stolen

Like it or not its that time of year when Grinch like thieves go around and steal holiday lawn decorations from unsuspecting families. The question is how to keep your holiday decorations from being stolen?

This post was updated on 9-13-19.

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1. Secure your decorations to the ground.

Use Lawn Stakes

There are two good reasons to secure your lawn decorations to the ground with lawn stakes.

If you live in a windy area, they are less likely to blow over if you use stakes.
The more securely they are put in the ground using stakes, the less likely it is someone can grab them and go.

Use a Cable Lock

If you have a tree or fence nearby you can loop a bike cable lock through your decorations to keep them in your yard. Make sure it is the kind of lock that is difficult to cut easily.

2. Mark Your Holiday Decorations

One of the reasons that thieves steal holiday decorations is to resell them. Mark your decorations with your address or name in a manner that can’t easily be covered or removed. This will make them less desirable to a thief who wants to sell them.

Use Paint Marker

I used paint marker to write on our light projector. I drew designs and markings on it that would easily distinguish it from anyone else’s light projector.

Stick Address Labels on Your Decorations

To help deter thieves I stuck our address labels to our lawn sculptures as well as their plugs.

The more unique your marks and stickers are the less appealing they will be to a thief.

3. Make it Difficult to Remove the Plugs

A few years ago when we were having lots of rain in December, my husband covered the plugs for our lights in plastic wrap and taped them up. It was a huge pain to get them apart at the end of the season. I sat there for at least 5 minutes or more cutting it off. Most thieves want to grab your stuff and go so, if your plugs are not easy to separate they may bypass your house for another easier target.

Wrap Them in Clear Plastic Wrap

Clear plastic wrap works well in two ways, it keeps the plugs of your decorations safe from the elements and it is super frustrating for thieves to remove quickly.

Secure the Plastic Wrap with Clear Packing Tape

The clear packing tape adds an extra layer of security to your wrapped plugs. It also a huge pain to cut through the tape and plastic wrap together. It will eat up valuable time that a thief would not want to waste.

4. Take Pictures of Your Decorations

There are so many different types of decorations out there and many of them are so similar. If someone stole your decorations and relocated them to their yard or posted them on a sale site such as Facebook, Craigslist, or Next Door, you will have a much easier time identifying them if you have pictures. Take both day and night shots. You can also post pictures for others to help you find your items or use them for police reports. The older your items get the more unique they will become and it will be easier for others to spot them if they pop up somewhere.

5. Track Your Decorations

If you are investing money in expensive decorations, you may also want to invest in bluetooth trackers for them such as Tile trackers. You could place a tracking device inconspicuously on your decorations. If you were to have expensive decorations stolen, the pictures and tracking devices could help you locate them faster. It would also help your local police department should you file a report.

6. Remove them before New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve is a holiday like Halloween. People are partying and may be having fun. Teenagers or other older partiers who are being drunk and stupid may be looking for trouble. I highly recommend setting a reminder for yourself to take down any cherished decorations before the celebrations on New Year’s Eve. This will reduce the chances your favorite decorations could become damaged or lost due to another person’s stupidity or bad choices.

7. Install Cameras Around Your Home

You can upgrade your security system at your home to include outdoor cameras or you can just purchase a simple doorbell camera that will help keep an eye out for you. If you were planning to purchase cameras for general home security now is a great time to do it. We love our Simplisafe System. Cameras will go a long way to deter many thieves. They can also be great for protecting your packages from package thieves.

Install Security Cameras

Install a Doorbell Camera

When someone steals your belongings you may feel frustrated, violated, angry and sad. Even if they did not enter your home there is nothing worse than having your hard earned money wasted through damage or theft. If you haven’t done it yet, secure your decorations. Thieves are waiting and they are out there so don’t make it easy for them to ruin your holiday!

Get your copy of holiday decoration security checklist below. It gives you a list of the supplies you need, a checklist of how to make your items secure and an inventory for your most expensive items.