What is situational awareness, and why is it important during the holiday season?

Situational awareness is the skill of noticing what’s happening around you, understanding how those details fit together, and recognizing when something feels “off.”

During the holiday season, this skill becomes especially valuable because everything around us tends to be louder, busier, and more distracting. Between crowded malls, holiday travel, evening events, and the increased stress that naturally comes with the season, it’s much easier to miss the small cues that help you stay safe.

Practicing situational awareness might look like:

• Noticing exits in a store
• Keeping track of your belongings while shopping
• Paying attention to unusual behavior in a parking lot
• Staying focused when walking to your car instead of juggling bags and phones

Small habits can make a meaningful difference, and we emphasize these skills in several of our classes—especially Be Your Own Defender and our active threat preparedness trainings.