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Seen At 11: Expert Passes Along Advice On Avoiding Holiday Burglaries

CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The holidays are a time for welcoming guests into your home – but beware, you may unknowingly be inviting burglars in.

CBS2's Tracee Carrasco explained Tuesday night how to make sure your home does not become a holiday target.

Home security expert Dan Coleman showed Carrasco all the potential hazards that could invite burglars in one Cedar Knolls, New Jersey neighborhood.

"One thing to keep in mind is to not to forget security lighting, and lights on inside the home, just because you have decorative lights on," Coleman said. "For instance, this house has some great lighting, however, inside the home there are no lights on."

Coleman's biggest tip is to keep lights on various timers, and motion sensor lights to deter burglars from breaking in.

"If somebody is going to try to come into your house and come in through a dark area, if lights turn on, they're going to be scared away and go to another house," Coleman said.

Another deterrent is home security alarms. But Coleman said you need to remember to use them.

"Unfortunately, a lot of people fall out of habit in setting their alarms," Coleman said. "Now is a great time to get back into the habit."

And you may want to think twice about where you put your Christmas tree. One of the worst places, Coleman said, is your front window.

"The trees often are put out in a place for decoration, so people driving by can see them and if there are gifts under there, then they will be targeting and looking for those gifts," he said.

Once those gifts under the tree are opened, keep in mind how you get rid of the boxes.

"Anybody driving by sees the computers, the flat screen TVs, the gaming systems and they see what's in the house and what they might want to steal," he said.

Police departments shared a reminder on the Internet – be wise, don't advertise. Break down the boxes, before tossing them out.

And if you don't already -- now is the perfect time to get to know your neighbors so you can alert one another if you see anything suspicious.

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