Sundre and surrounding area residents largely seem to have celebrated the holidays responsibly this year.
The local RCMP detachment as well as the Sundre Fire Department each reported a season calmer than average.
"Over Christmas and New Year's it was actually really quiet," said Sgt. Jim Lank.
The Sundre detachment's commander added the only exception was the brazen robbery at the Sundre Motor Inn on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 31, when two unidentified suspects held up staff at gunpoint and managed to flee with several thousand dollars after jumping into a waiting getaway car that was last seen heading east on Highway 27.
"The robbery was the big one ó we're continuing to investigate that. That file will remain open for some time. We're actually working on a couple of leads," he told the Round Up last week.
"That was the only thing of significance ó it was otherwise quiet," the sergeant said about the holidays, adding there were not a lot of reported crimes and speculating that perhaps the cold weather play a role in keeping more people indoors.
Even from a traffic enforcement point of view, the holidays were mostly uneventful, with no impaired drivers charged on New Year's Eve. There wasn't even a roadside suspension. Local police were actively patrolling yet the number of impaired driving charges laid compared with previous years is down, he said.
"We're probably down about 50 per cent on total impaired charges for the year."
However, as with the rest of the province, property crimes remain problematic and the number of incidents in 2016 is comparable to 2015. Such criminal activity includes break-ins to homes, businesses or vehicles, he said, reminding residents to make themselves a hard target as much as possible.
The local detachment plans to address the issue by engaging a strategy to reduce property crime by increasing public awareness, education and preparedness. Constables Dow York and Eric Morris will be involved in that initiative, he said.
"Their angle will be to provide education and awareness to residents and business owners for tips on how to reduce property crime and make premises more secure. That's what they'll be doing over the coming couple of months."
Over at the Sundre Fire Department, volunteer responders got to spend time with their families as few fire calls came in during the holidays, said Chief Marty Butts, who called the season "pretty mellow."
There were a few false alarms caused by accidents such as cooking mishaps, but there was only one structure fire responded to just before Christmas. A witness called to report smoke emanating from the roof of a shop on a rural property located northeast of town, he said.
"It was a good catch by a neighbour or somebody nearby who noticed the smoke and called it in."
Because of the early detection and quick response, the fire was contained to the shop's attic and did not spread to cause further damage. The shop itself only sustained smoke and water damage and was recoverable, he said, adding that was the department's only big call during the holidays.
All things considered, "it was a good outcome, you could say."
And despite the persistent freezing temperatures, which typically prompt residents to light up their stoves to fight the cold, there have been no reports of chimney fires or complications to date, he said.
"Usually we've had a few by now, but things have been good," the fire chief told the Round Up last week.
"Not sure if it's just luck or education," said Butts, adding he hopes it's the latter and that more people are taking the necessary steps to protect themselves as well as their homes when making a fire.
But whether the quieter-than-average season was the result of good fortune or increased awareness, he said he was primarily "glad to see a low volume of calls over the Christmas holidays."
