If you see a suspicious character skulking from store to store, glancing furtively in all directions, it is probably just another panic-stricken Christmas shopper.

We have been warned repeatedly by the police, chambers of commerce, banks and others to be wary of thieves this holiday season. When we ramp up our Christmas shopping, thieves see opportunities to line their pockets at our expense.

We are well aware that nefarious characters lurk online, ready to pirate our cash or worse, our entire identity. We fear that taking a chance on buying a toy for Junior’s collection could result in some offshore lowlife instantly emptying our bank accounts and selling our house from under us.

If we brave the holiday crowds and venture into a store, there are all kinds of gizmos rigged to lift our credit and debit card information, and before we get home, a Mexican drug lord could be using a copy of our card to buy luxury limos for the people on his Christmas list.

Shopping with cash might seem to be the answer, until we remember that credit cards and debit cards first gained popularity as safety measures so people did not have to carry large sums of currency around with them. Not all theft is high tech; criminals will still mug any fool who flashes a fat wallet.

So we take the appropriate precautions, protecting our PIN numbers and personal information, monitoring our credit card statements, doing periodic checks on our credit status, and shredding our mail.

We also need to take appropriate precautions when we make charitable donations. This is the time of year when many organizations conduct special fundraising campaigns, often to ensure the less fortunate have a good Christmas dinner and presents for their children. There is also the growing trend of making a donation to a person’s favourite charity as a Christmas gift, or in memory of a loved one who is no longer with us.

Despite the gift buying that has become a holiday tradition in this part of the world, the true spirit of giving is alive and well in Listowel, Atwood, Monkton and vicinity. This is a generous community every season of the year, but at Christmas, we seem to make an extra effort to open our hearts and our wallets.

The fact is, it is fun to buy a special toy and donate it to a needy child. Instead of having the pleasure of watching a child open the present, we get to imagine a limitless number of scenarios involving a little darling who thought there would be nothing under the tree Christmas morning. Every tin and package we drop off for the food bank includes the opportunity for a mental image of a festive holiday dinner that our donation made a bit more special.

It feels good to know our gifts make a difference to people in need.

Sadly, there are those who try to take advantage of this and do a little fundraising on their own behalf, under false pretenses. It may seem a bit cold and calculating to do research before making a charitable donation, but if we want to make sure our money goes to its intended recipient, we cannot let down our guard in a fuzzy glow of holiday generosity.

We need to make our lists, check them twice and never hesitate to ask for identification. In terms of generosity, open-hearted should not mean empty-headed.