Christmas trash might put a bullseye on your home without you even knowing.

Thieves are on the lookout to see what pricey gifts you have inside your home and one local police department is warning residents to keep an eye out this holiday season.

McAllen resident Rigo Ayala had the job of being Santa Claus this year. He's expecting a full house for Christmas where at least 20 of his family members will be busy opening gifts

So he's taking extra precautions to make sure his home is safe.

"When throwing their boxes, especially if they do have addresses on it, make sure to get that address off and throw it away," Ayala said.

Mission Public Information Officer Art Flores says this is the time of year when people tend to let their guard down.

The leftover trash is always an afterthought from the excitement of opening gifts, but there are several things you can do to keep thieves away as you're tossing out the trash.

"If you're going to dispose of them in your trash can, try to put them way in the bottom of the trash and then put whatever trash on top of it," Flores said. "It gives the idea of what that person has in their property."

Also, make sure to check your city's trash pick-up hours as they might've changed due to the holidays.