Christmas gift giving is over and now it’s time to take out the trash.The boxes that contained that new TV, computer or electronic game system have to go somewhere. Usually they get stacked by the alley or the street in the hours before your weekly trash pick up.The National Crime Prevention Council advises people not to put those gift boxes outside any sooner than you have to. In the days after Christmas burglars drive around residential neighborhoods looking for evidence about what they might find if they were to break into a house. Once they find that evidence burglars watch for the right time to go to work.NCPC offers other tips for protecting your property. They are common sense ideas that are good for anytime of the year, not just Christmas. But hey, people still forget or become careless.1. More than 60 percent of all burglaries take place without forced entry, so make sure doors, windows and garage doors are locked.2. Use automatic timers to turn on and of lights, a radio or television when you are gone.3. Avoid displaying expensive gifts in front of windows where they are visible to someone outside.4. Ask a trusted neighbor to keep an eye on your home while you are away. Make sure your newspapers or mail are picked up or make arrangements to stop delivery during the days you are gone.5. Create an inventory of your valuables, including serial numbers and take photos of them.6. Be alert to suspicious activity in your neighborhood and report it to police.For more tips, go to the council’s Web site.