A Langford resident fell victim last week to a Grinchy spirit.
And as Dec. 25 drew near, Lynn Gauley hoped that, like the Dr. Seuss character, this thief’s heart will grow a few sizes and her beloved Rudolph would be returned in time for Christmas.
“They just took him,” she said. “They left his red nose sitting in the grass.”
While she was still holding out hope this week, Gauley was realistic about the chances that her illuminated metal-and-wire reindeer would be returned to her lawn on Young Place, near Ronald Road. She suspected her lone outdoor Christmas decoration may have been the object of some horrible prank and was laying in a dumpster somewhere.
She’s gone to great lengths to search for Rudolph, scouring surrounding ditches and a nearby forest, but to no avail. “I’ve never had anything stolen from my property in my lifetime.”
It’s not about the monetary value of the decoration. It was a family event to put him out every year – her son even adorned him with a colourful crown to make him different.
And it wasn’t just her own family to which the little lawn ornament brought joy. Two young children from down the road came out to regularly see the reindeer, she said.
“How does one explain to a two-year-old that Rudolph was obviously stolen?” Gauley asked. “It was upsetting to me and the neighbours.”
She suspects the reindeer was stolen the night of Dec. 18. She turned off the lights at about 10 p.m. that night and she discovered it was missing the next morning when she got up around 6 a.m.
Gauley said none of her neighbours in the close, tight-knit community have reported any missing decorations. But the theft of her reindeer so close to Christmas has them wondering who could take something used to bring joy to others, even if it was just a prank.
“My spirit was broken … It just rattled me,” she said.
If you know anything of the whereabouts of the lost reindeer, contact her at lgauley@shaw.ca.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com