HOLLISTER
After spending hours on Sunday decorating their lawn with lights and inflatable Christmas decorations, Mary and Rick Smith stood outside their home admiring their hard work and discussing which ones each of their grandchildren might enjoy.
But the next morning, when Mary Smith opened the shades in her kitchen, she found that all but an inflatable Santa had disappeared during the night.
“It was just surreal,” Rick Smith said, “that someone would come and take them – especially at Christmas – it’s hard.”
Sometime during the night, the tethers strapping down the inflatable snow globes and reindeer had been cut and four of the holiday adornments had been stolen.
About $300 worth of decorations and several hours of hard work were gone.
“Certainly, the money is bothersome, but it’s far from being the main point,” Rick said, looking out at his empty lawn Tuesday morning.
Rick Smith said he keeps thinking about the event – frustrated not only that someone would steal something from off his front yard, but also that they would take something that had brought him and his wife such joy.
“Even if they were potted plants, it would bother me. But Christmas decorations – it’s far worse,” he said.
Hollister Police Capt. Richard Vasquez said that this was the first time he had heard of someone taking Christmas decorations this year. With the display on your lawn, however, sometimes thieves just see an opportunity.
“It’s unfortunate that someone would do that,” he said. “But people need to understand that it’s a great Christmas spirit and it’s nice to have them, but there’s a potential to be stolen.”
Rick Smith said he had never heard of someone stealing Christmas decorations, except the Grinch in the classic holiday Dr. Seuss book.
“For me, it’s really disappointing. I was born and raised here,” Mary Smith said. “There’s something sacred about Christmas.”
A few of the decorations had been purchased the previous year, with the Smith’s grandchildren who were in town for the seasons. New ones had been added this year to remind the couple of their grandchildren, who do not live locally.
“We don’t have little kids around anymore, but our grandchildren loved them,” Mary Smith said. “I don’t think people realize that when they do things like this, it’s not just about the decorations.”
The best way to diminish the potential is by bringing in decorations at night, which is sometimes not realistic, Vasquez said. He also recommended putting up motion lights.
Rick Smith said that while they had already purchased replacement, inflatable holiday displays, they would be putting up motion sensors in the future.
“We’ll end up being fine. We’ll find something else to bring back that Christmas spirit,” he said.
