Do locksmiths work on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve?

I do. I work every day of the year including Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Eve. Emergency lockouts do not take holidays, so neither do I. My prices are the same as any other day — no bank holiday surcharges. Lockout callouts start from £59. Call me on 07735 336175 any time.

How should I dispose of Christmas gift packaging securely?

Break all boxes down flat so the branding is not visible from the street. Put them inside your recycling bin with the printed side facing inward, or take them to the tip yourself. Never leave boxes for expensive items (TVs, consoles, laptops) stacked next to your bin where anyone walking past can see them. Those boxes tell criminals exactly what is worth stealing from your house.

What is the best way to secure my home if I am away over Christmas?

Set timer lights in at least two rooms on staggered schedules. Double-lock all doors (lift handle and turn key on uPVC doors). Lock all windows. Close curtains. Ask a neighbour to collect post, park on your drive, and put bins out and in. Do not announce your absence on social media. If someone needs access for pet care, use a wall-mounted key safe rather than hiding a key. Cancel or redirect any expected deliveries.

How can I avoid getting locked out on New Year's Eve?

The three best precautions are: give a spare key to a trusted friend or neighbour, fit a key safe outside your home for emergencies, and physically check you have your keys before you close the front door. Never hide a key under a mat or flowerpot — burglars check all the obvious spots. If the worst happens, save my number now: 07735 336175. I work every New Year's Eve at standard prices, starting from £59 for a lockout.

Christmas Home Security: Protecting Your Home (and Presents) Over the Holidays

Christmas is the peak season for home burglary — empty houses, expensive gifts, and dark evenings. Here is how to protect your home over the festive period.

Christmas Is a Burglar's Favourite Season

I do not want to dampen your festive spirit, but Christmas is one of the highest-risk periods for burglary, theft, and lockouts in Coventry. The combination of expensive gifts in the house, predictable routines, social media oversharing, and empty homes creates the perfect conditions for opportunist criminals.

Every December I see the same problems repeated. Presents visible through windows. Empty boxes left on the kerb advertising what is inside. Families away visiting relatives with no security measures in place. And every New Year's Eve, my phone rings non-stop with lockouts.

Here is how to protect your home this Christmas — practical advice based on what I actually see happening across Coventry.

Before Christmas: Protecting Your Gifts

Do Not Leave Presents Visible Through Windows

This is the most common mistake I see. People put their Christmas tree by the front window (fair enough — it looks lovely) and then pile presents underneath it. From the street, anyone walking past can see a stack of wrapped gifts. After dark, with the tree lights on and the room lit up, it is like a shop window display.

Put your tree wherever you like, but keep presents away from windows. Stack them behind furniture, in another room, or do not put them under the tree until Christmas morning.

Think Before You Post on Social Media

"Off to Tenerife for Christmas! Back on the 28th!" is basically a public announcement that your house is empty for a week. Even check-ins at airports, photos tagged at hotels, and countdown posts ("3 days until our holiday!") tell people when you will not be home.

Set your profiles to private, and if you must post, do it after you get back. At the very minimum, do not post specific dates or locations while you are away.

Use Timer Lights

If you are spending Christmas Day elsewhere, set timer lights in at least two rooms. A dark house on Christmas Day — when every other house on the street has lights on — stands out. Timer switches cost under £5 each and they are one of the most effective deterrents there is.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Secure Deliveries

December is peak delivery season and porch piracy is a real problem. If you are not going to be home, arrange delivery to a neighbour, use a click-and-collect point, or install a [key safe](/services/lock-change) so a trusted person can put parcels inside for you.

Lock Up Properly on Christmas Eve

Many families go to midnight mass or visit relatives on Christmas Eve. In the excitement, doors get pulled shut but not properly locked. If you have a uPVC door, always lift the handle and turn the key — do not just pull it closed. Pulling it closed only engages the latch, not the deadbolts, and a uPVC door on the latch can be opened with a credit card.

Christmas Day Security

If you are hosting, make sure you lock up properly before everyone arrives. Back doors get left unlocked so people can pop out to the garden. Garages get left open. Windows get opened because the kitchen is steaming. These are all entry points.

If you are going to someone else's house for the day, do a full lock-up: all doors locked (not just pulled shut), all windows closed and locked, timer lights on, curtains closed.

The Empty Box Problem

This one comes up every year. On Boxing Day, the recycling goes out. And suddenly every house on the street is advertising exactly what they got for Christmas.

A box from a 65-inch Samsung TV. PlayStation 5 packaging. A box for a new MacBook. These tell every passing criminal exactly what is inside your house and roughly how much it is worth.

Break boxes down flat and put them inside your recycling bin with the branding facing inward. Better yet, take them to the tip yourself. Do not leave them stacked next to your bin for a week.

Going Away for Christmas

If you are leaving your home empty over the Christmas period, here is a checklist:

**Timer lights** in at least two rooms, set to come on at realistic times

**Close all curtains** — an empty house is less obvious with curtains closed

**Double-lock all doors** — lift the handle and turn the key on every uPVC and composite door

**Lock all windows** — check every room, including upstairs

**Ask a neighbour** to collect post and parcels (a pile of post visible through the letterbox is a giveaway)

**Cancel or redirect deliveries** you are expecting

**Ask someone to park on your drive** if you are taking your car

**Key safe for pet sitters** — if someone is coming to feed the cat, do not leave a key under the mat or in a fake rock. Invest in a [proper key safe](/services/lock-change) mounted to the wall. They cost from £50 fitted

**Set bins out and bring them back in** — bins left out for days are a sign nobody is home

**Do not change your voicemail** to say you are away — and do not put it on social media

New Year's Eve: The Lockout Capital of the Year

New Year's Eve is consistently my busiest night of the year for [emergency lockouts](/services/emergency-lockout). The combination of alcohol, unfamiliar doors (at parties), changed routines, and lost keys means my phone barely stops ringing from about 11pm on the 31st to 3am on the 1st.

If you are going out on New Year's Eve:

**Give a spare key to someone you trust** — or better yet, fit a [key safe](/services/lock-change)

**Check you have your keys before you leave** — pat yourself down at the door

**Do not hide a key outside** — burglars know all the hiding spots

**Save my number in your phone now**: 07735 336175. I work every New Year's Eve, same prices as any other day

A standard lockout callout with me starts from £59. You will not get a surprise bill for triple the price just because it is a bank holiday.

Boxing Day Delivery Theft

Boxing Day and the days after Christmas are prime time for parcel theft. Online returns are being collected, sale purchases are being delivered, and many people are away visiting family. If you are expecting deliveries between Christmas and New Year, arrange collection from a safe place or ask a neighbour to take them in.

Make Security Part of Your Christmas Routine

Most of this is common sense, but in the chaos of Christmas it gets forgotten. My advice: do a five-minute security check on Christmas Eve. Lock everything, set timers, close curtains, bring in any valuables from the car. It takes five minutes and it could save you a miserable start to the new year.

If you want your locks checked before Christmas, or you want to upgrade your door security, call me on 07735 336175. I am available right up to Christmas Eve, and I work through the holidays for emergencies. Check my [prices page](/prices) for current rates.