It brings a lot of joy, but the holiday season is also an active time for home burglaries, which are about to hit their yearly peak. The stories are common this time of year. Michael Good has one about his neighbor's house...easy pickings for thieves. As he told us, "They just walked right in, because he had a fake rock. And they knew that and used his key and came right into his house. Then he discovered when he got back, by opening his door and the door was open."

According to the FBI, burglaries hit a peak during the holidays. 400,000 home burglaries in November and December occur on average in the U.S. every year. Thankfully, times have changed from the key under the rock, to inexpensive protections that really work. Michael has seen many innovations in his 12 years at the South Reno Home Depot. His favorite low-tech protection is the combination lock. He says homeowners “can replace their deadbolt lock with a combination lock. That way they can actually assign up to 19 codes."

Most burglars prefer windows to get in. A simple window lock is very cheap: "This one's $4 and something apiece. There are different styles. This is a Quick Lock, so you can take it apart and put it back together real easy."

Burglars case homes for Christmas purchases. Holiday travel means empty homes, and the short days give crooks more darkness. This Home Depot has a wall of motion-activated outdoor lights. The new solar ones work when the power's out. And Christmas lights are better than ever…many you turn on with your phone. They’re a beautiful way to send a message. Cook says, "It shows that people are home, and they don't want to invade somebody's who's home. So that's one of the deterrents. Not only does it deter...but its awesome good looking."

And as you can imagine, burglars avoid homes advertising a security system. These days they’re cheaper, like the new 24-7 monitoring system from Ring: “It’s $10 a month, very inexpensive, and they will monitor your Ring for you." Will they call the police? "Yes that's all included on there, if you want them to."

And with an extra camera or 2, a good safeguard against the rash of holiday package thieves. Cook says, “You can actually see who drove up or who walked by, or where they went to." And they’re more user-friendly, with their own phone app. "With all of our electronics that we have nowadays, it's easier for us to protect ourselves."

Here's hoping…for a safe December.