Decatur Police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ross sent along a tip sheet on how to avoid trouble this Christmas.

“Don’t let a would-be thief ruin your holiday cheer so easily,” Ross’ email says. “Thieves are looking for quick and easy, so throw up a few more roadblocks.”

Ross said if you don’t want to be a tempting target for criminals, you should:

– Park the car in a well-lit area and pay attention to where it’s parked.

– Hide your shopping bags and packages if they’re in the car. Put them in the trunk.

– Did you go back to the car so you could unload some of your shopping bags? You should move to another space.

– Don’t leave GPS, iPhone and iPod chargers or any other kind of charging device in plain view inside your car. Thieves see that as a tip-off that you’ve got something worth stealing.

Thanks for the info, Sgt. Ross.