HONOLULU (KHON2) -- While the holiday season is a time for celebration, it's also an opportunity for criminals. As homes fill with packages, parking lots overflow with distracted shoppers and travelers leave homes unattended, the stage is set for a spike in holiday-related crimes. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Honolulu Police Department's latest data shows property crime on Oahu is down compared to last year, but as part of a holiday tradition, there's usually an uptick between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. "There seems to be more and more crime every year and it's spreading eastward. Kahala, Hawaii Kai, Aina Haina side," said Joey Ching, President of Security Alarm Shop. Salvation Army preps for annual holiday meal delivery from Hawaii to Guam Ching said he bases his information on how many calls he gets to install security systems. "Because it's not enough anymore to protect inside your home, we're trying to move outside and stop porch pirates, thievery," said Ching. To protect your home against crime, HPD recommends not displaying gifts where they can be seen from the outside, lock the doors, even while you're home and don't post on social media when you'll be out of town. "Don't post on Facebook you'll be away for two weeks in Vegas. 'Yay, so come rob my empty house' is what's that basically saying," said Ching. With the surge in online shopping, HPD suggests buying only from trusted retailers, don't give out credit card or personal information unless you've initiated the transaction and sign up for delivery tracking. Schedule your deliveries for when someone can receive the package, or have the package held at the delivery facility and pick it up in person. Holiday crimes aren't limited to homes. HPD advises looking for parking that's well-lit, near other cars, and in view of security cameras. Lock your car and don't leave valuables in plain view. Find more Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai news here At least a simple security camera for your home is what Ching recommends, but if you're not able to invest in a system, Ching suggests working with your neighbors to look out for each other. "Any little bit helps. It's like the onion, the more layers of security you put on, the safer you're gonna be," said Ching.