Unfortunately, along with the joy and festivities of the holiday
season comes holiday stress and holiday crime.
Unfortunately, along with the joy and festivities of the holiday season comes holiday stress and holiday crime.
Much of the crime that increases during the holidays – auto and home burglaries, drunk driving and petty theft – can actually be linked to holiday stress.
“People are busy, they are thinking about what they have to do and not thinking about whether it is wise or not to leave presents in the car, not thinking about locking doors, things like that,” said Morgan Hill Police Lt. Joe Sampson.
These types of crimes can be avoided in many cases by making things difficult for the potential criminal.
“We advise the community to harden the target,” Sampson said. “These are crimes of opportunity. They occur when people are busy and not taking their normal precautions. It is easy for a thief to take advantage.”
Local merchants normally see an increase in shopplifitng in the holdiay season, Sampson said, beginning at Thanksgiving.
“So far, the traditional holiday shoplifting hasn’t been so bad,” he said. “We haven’t seen the usual upswing yet. But our merchants take steps to prevent these types of crimes during the holidays. Many of them hire loss prevention staff to be extra watchful during the busy season.”
Sampson said the MHPD would advise residents to be aware of their surroundings, to lock their doors – both home and vehicle – even when they are in the homes or vehicles, to think about their own personal safety and the safety of their family members and to always have a designated driver if they plan to be out drinking.
“Even if they have a designated driver, people need to watch how they consume alcohol during this time,” Sampson said.
Heavy drinking around the holidays can lead to other problems, he said.
Stress during the holiday season, sometimes known as “holiday blues,” can lead to carelessness and irresponsible behavior, which can lead to the sufferer becoming either a victim of a crime, or getting involved in criminal behavior.
According to the National Mental Health Association, this stress can be caused by fatigue, unrealistic expectations, overcommercialization of the holiday period, financial constraints and family issues.
Headaches, excessive drinking, overeating and difficulty sleeping are just a few of the symptoms of stress and can be triggers for other potential problems.
To relieve stress, mental health experts advise attempting to simplify the holidays, whether that means getting back to the basics of what the season means to your particular religion or traditions or whether it means allowing yourself to enjoy the season, not pressure yourself to make everything “perfect.”
Decide, for example, that this year, you won’t send out Christmas cards – maybe New Year’s greetings or Valentine’s greetings instead. Or that you won’t make 200 latkes for the neighborhood like your mother did. Experts say many people have pleasurable memories of childhood holiday times, and become disappointed if they can’t recreate them as adults, or overextend themselves trying.
On the other hand, unhappy childhood memories, the loss of a loved one or loneliness create a different kind of holiday problem. If talking with a good friend or family member does not seem to help, this is the time to talk to a therapist, a counselor or a pastor/priest/rabbi. Community Solutions in Morgan Hill has trained counselors available; call 779-2113 for more information or the crisis hotline at 683-4118.
