Increasing the security of your home is essential. People often don't think of home improvements such as this in the winter, but traditionally the colder months have been prime crime season for burglars who know that many families may not be in their homes during the holidays. Your home is not something you can put in your pocket and take with you to protect when you go on vacation or to visit the relatives, so every homeowner must be serious about security.

Fortunately home security does not have to be a major production involving gates and moats and armed guards. Many solutions are easily prepared by a handyman (or handywoman) over a weekend.

The easiest solution is to have sturdy locks on all your entrances and make sure you use them. Installing dead bolts on doors prevents easy access and greatly delays a would-be lockpicker, increasing the chances of them being detected. Even easier to install are sliding chain locks to give you additional piece of mind when you are in your home. Windows should be regularly checked to ensure they are completely closed and locked as well.

A well-lit home is also less welcoming to a burglar. Installing flood lights on the outside of your home provides a deterrent as well as being useful for outdoor activities. Indoor lights can be placed on simple timers to turn them on after dark, and leaving a porch light on when you leave home is a quick way to boost security.

Professional security systems, monitored or unmonitored, provide a major deterrent to criminals. A screaming siren is an obvious call for help and sends most burglars running, and if your home security system is monitored the police can be dispatched within seconds.

Your landscaping also provides an important element to your home security. Tall bushes and shrubs blocking windows may provide privacy but will also prevent you from seeing someone approaching your home or pulling into your driveway. Shrubs should be trimmed below window level.

Computers are an important part of most people's lives and poor computer security can give away as much as a physical break-in. If you own a computer make sure it has an anti-virus program or suite installed and keep it up to date.

Purchasing a lockbox or safe is a wise precaution. If the worst happens and a burglar manages to enter your home keeping your valuables somewhere inaccessible is the next best security method. Important documents should be stored somewhere safe when not being used. Duplicates of important documents can also be kept with a friend or relative in case they are needed and have been taken.

Families that travel should take extra precautions. Leave your curtains open and use timers to make your lights come on at appropriate times. Have mail and newspaper delivery forwarded, held, or picked up by a neighbor. If a friend has a second vehicle, ask them to park it at your home while you are away. If you have a neighbor you trust, let them know you will be gone so they can better recognize suspicious people on your property.

These simple home improvements and precautions can go a long ways toward keeping your home safe and secure.