The holiday season is here. It’s time for buying presents, traveling and decorating. It’s also a time when thieves break into homes. According to the FBI, a burglary occurs every 15 seconds in the U.S.

Besides cash, thieves look for items to steal that they can easily sell. These include electronics, jewelry, firearms, prescription drugs and items that reveal your personal identification information.

Here are security tips to discourage thieves from ruining your holidays.

–Keep holiday presents away from windows. Don’t tempt thieves by placing a decorated tree and a mountain of presents by a front-facing window.

–After presents have been opened, place empty boxes in your waste barrel. That may mean cutting up the boxes so they’ll fit inside. There is no need to advertise to the world (and to thieves) that you were the happy recipient of a new laptop or big screen TV.

–Add a home security system with a camera trained on the front door. Delivered packages are stolen at an alarming rate (most home burglaries and theft occurs during the day when homeowners are at work). Consider mounting a motion activated front door camera with audio capabilities.

–If you will be traveling during the holidays, place inside and outside lights on timers so it will appear someone is home during the evening.

–Alert trusted neighbors of your travel plans so they can notice any suspicious activity. Have neighbors pick up newspapers and collect your mail (or place a hold on their delivery).

–Avoid announcing your travel plans or posting your vacation pictures on Facebook. Thieves are just as interested in knowing about your vacation as are your friends and family.

–Consider adding a patrol service to monitor your home while you are away.