While you are relaxing and pampering yourself, please make sure that you are protecting your assets.  Todays safety focus is in regards to automobile theft.  Both the theft of the goods in your vehicle and the possibility of your car being stolen!  During the holiday season, most of us are giving and loving.  There are, however, those common criminals as I call them.  While I am sure they have a valid sob story of a mother who did not pay enough attention to them (said with dripping sarcasm), I am hoping to keep you and your belongings safe.  So...to follow are a few tips to detour criminals from lurking around your things, your car, and even you!

• When you are in a parking area, please make sure that you park near a light.  While you may not plan on spending all day at the mall, outlet stores, or grocery store...better safe than sorry.  I want you to be parking near a light.  Past criminals have admitted that the cars furthest away from the lights are those they would target the most.  So...park near a lamp post, neon sign, or anything to shed some light on your car and your safety, really.
• Place bags, packages, pretty much everything in the trunk of your car ~ or an otherwise un-visible area.  The more temptations there are for someone to see through the windows, the higher the likelihood of those goods being stolen.
• When walking out to your vehicle, please be aware of your surroundings.  Especially during evening and nighttime, pay attention to all of the sounds, smells, and the feelings you have regarding your safety.  Our "hunches" or intuition are, I believe, God guiding us.  He wants what is best for us, He loves us, and He tries to protect us.  Victims of a crime often say they wish they had followed their instinct...their gut!  So trust yourself and be careful.
• LOCK YOUR CAR!  If you have an alarm system, set it.  It is easy to be bustling about and forget the most basic of things.  It will, however, prevent bad things from happening, just by taking a few moments to ensure your safety.
• Last but not least, to keep ourselves safe, we should spend time making sure that others are safe.  Help the elderly woman get to her car safely.  Watch for suspicious activity...again, paying attention to your gut instinct.  When we do unto others, it will be done unto us!

I know that this one is a bit more of a downer, but I find being proactive is much easier than reacting to the ickiness of what can be.  Enjoy your last 12 days of Christmas.  I will be enjoying mine as I am watching, reading, and writing! 

In the event that you have missed the first three days, the links are provided below!  If you have not read them, please do and let me know your thoughts...  :)

Twelve Days of Safety ~ On the First Day

Twelve Days of Safety ~ On the Second Day

Twelve Days of Safety ~ On the Third Day