"Why would someone do this?" A homeowner is asking that question and shaking her head in disbelief after heartless thieves took the shine off a very special family tradition.
The home, on Gilbert Road just south of Williams Road, is well known in the neighbourhood for its elaborate and twinkly display.
However, the woman, who only wants to be identified as Rita, woke up Monday morning to discover that hundreds of dollars worth of her outdoor Christmas lights had been stolen.
The thieves went to great lengths to cut down lights, which were placed up to nine feet high, and were brazen enough to steal items within inches of a bedroom window.
But there's a deeper significance to her family's annual decorations that the thieves would have been completely ignorant of.
"We've been doing this since 2006, but a few years ago, in December, my niece and nephew lost their mom, and we all get together around now and make a big deal of the display to take their minds off the date a little," said Rita.
"It's a tough time of the year for them, but we all do our best to keep them occupied and our display is a big part of that.
"We all spend a lot of time, about a month, preparing the lights and everything. It's so disappointing."
Rita believes the thieves were keeping an eye out on her home because she went out around 1 a.m.
Monday to switch off the display.
"They were careful enough to unscrew the security spotlights, so they clearly knew what they were doing," she added.
Rita has now beefed up security around the outside of the home and has reported the theft to the police.
However, she and her family are now worried about setting up the rest of the display for fear of the thieves coming back for more.
"We have some great stuff still to put out, but we're wondering if there's any point?" she said.
Although Rita doesn't hold out much hope of getting her lights back, she's hoping others will keep an eye out for suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods.
"I really hope they enjoy the lights they stole; they obviously need them more than I do."
