“It’s beginning to look a lot like …” You know the rest. The holidays are here and now is the perfect time for PMCs to help residents prep for the holidays: gift deliveries, lights, safety, reindeer visiting, and of course, powering a safe, informed, and efficient neighborhood.
Energize your (digital) neighborhood watch! Porch pirates are on the prowl now that we all clicked our way through our Christmas lists. Send out a reminder to your residents to keep an eye out for suspicious people or vehicles driving slowly through your communities. Encourage the buddy system — each neighbor chooses a buddy who periodically checks for unattended packages. Or see if the folks who are home during the day might offer to accept packages for others. It only takes one busy UPS driver and one determined criminal to ruin the holidays.
Turn on cameras and alarms. Speaking of crime. Make sure your residents are turning on their alarms and activating their security cameras, especially if they’re heading out for holiday vacations. Contact your local police and request a few extra patrols.
Send holiday cards. But not the cheesy, impersonal ones. Ask around to see if there’s a crafty person who lives in one of your communities or an artist and ask if they wouldn’t whip up an original greeting. Grab a cup of cocoa, put on some holiday music, and put together a note you can include in the card. Talk about what makes your community special and how everyone can make it even better. Be positive and your residents will follow suit.
Clark W. Griswold light displays. Put up a short blog post or announcement with a few safety tips for holiday light decorations. For example: Use energy-efficient LED lights, outdoor rated timers, power strips, and extension cords; Practice safety around ladders and electrical boxes, etc. Organize a light installation night so folks can lend a hand to anyone who needs some assistance.
Recycle and cleanup. Do some quick research and find out where folks can recycle Christmas trees and holiday lights in your area. Dumping broken light strands in the trash is a no-no. Instead, many cities are collecting and recycling them for you. The same goes for Christmas trees and wreaths.
A new way to pay! Make it easy for your residents to pay their dues and fees online, on time too. Here’s a short video on how and why you should employ online payments!
Taking a few simple steps like these will help alleviate much of the stress of the holidays and bring joy to your neighborhood. There can never be enough joy! Happy Holidays from FRONTSTEPS, your resident engagement platform helping you power a safe, informed, and efficient community.
Download our free 7-Step Checklist for Securing Your Community to help keep your neighborhood and residents safe during the holiday season.
