Left behind for Christmas: Most dangerous time of the year to lose things

"We need to be wary, be more careful and be prepared," he says.

Lost memories

Another danger is the replaceability of things. People are not as upset, the survey says, about losing items as they are about losing the data on items — such as photographs.

"We have all these photographs in our phones," Barzdukas says. "Our devices are great for preserving memories. They are portable and we can share them. But when they are mobile and accessible they are also more liable to be lost as you move through the world."

This is, naturally, why a data backup company is doing a survey about lost things. If somebody loses a chicken, however, they are probably on their own.

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