CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- They are the tiny lights and holiday decor that help make the season bright. But many neighborhoods are now being left in the dark because thieves stole Christmas.
"They are snatching the Christmas spirit," said Clay County Deputy Dean Jones. "It is the Grinch coming to your home."
In Orange Park, one home was stripped of all its Christmas cheer.
"This is terrible," said Ben Wortham." It's someone with no respect for anyone else's property other than to go and take something that they cared about and took the time to put together for everyone else."
"Most of the time it's people who are shopping for Christmas decorations and don't want to pay for their own," said Jones.
It's one of five homes in Clay County hit this month alone, and deputies are now warning homeowners. "Most decorations come with ground stakes to hold them down. We recommend using more," said Jones.
Ben Wortham decks his halls and home every year. And he says the crimes in his subdivision won't dampen his holiday. "Not in any way. Not in any way. We will continue to do what we have always done and maybe even more," he said.
He only hopes the thieves are caught before others lose their Christmas cheer too.
