A Kalispell family woke up earlier this week to find a Grinch had stolen and vandalized their Christmas decorations.

Darlene Fritz said she and her family decided to display some simple holiday decorations in their yard this season, for the first time in many years.

“We wanted to share a nice scene with our neighbors and friends,” Fritz told the Daily Inter Lake.

Fritz said her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and her husband were all enjoying looking at the lights. But the decorations will no longer be viewed, thanks to an unknown suspect who came in the night.

The Kalispell residents found their lighted tree decoration broken a half block from their house, and the orange nose of their snowman decoration in the street the next morning.

Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset said his department usually sees a handful of reports of stolen and vandalized holiday decorations each year.

According to city police call logs, last week also saw a blow-up Santa taken from a front yard in Kalispell and an LED snowman with a red scarf tossed in an alley near Fifth Street East.

The department treats vandalism of personal property as criminal mischief, and stolen decorations as theft, Nasset said.

“It’s a crime of opportunity,” Nasset said. “It usually happens when people are sleeping and it’s dark outside.”

Unfortunately, the chief said, it’s a crime without much evidence, unless someone gets video footage or the thief starts talking about it.

Nasset said most of the time, the culprits behind stolen and vandalized holiday decorations are “kids being foolish.”

Although they are disappointed, the Fritz family said they won’t let the incident ruin their Christmas spirit.

“We at our house hope everyone has a Merry Christmas,” Fritz said, “even the thieves.”

Reporter Breeana Laughlin can be reached at 758-4441 or [email protected].