Jenna Braud-Ritzmann and her family took to social media last week after getting a visit from a real-life Christmas Grinch, an unknown person who vandalized her Christmas light display in front of her Luling home, cutting wires to her display.
On Braud-Ritzmann’s residential street in Luling, her home is one of the few in the nearby vicinity with a Christmas light display.
“We’re the only ones that have lights – we’re the Griswolds of our street,” Braud-Ritzmann joked, referencing the classic 1989 National Lampoon’s Christmas movie. “We do this for our kids, and we do it for the neighborhood kids. There’s not [as many people] that are doing Christmas lights anymore – so every year we get bigger and bigger.”
Residents have often thanked she and her husband, Braud-Ritzmann said, for giving other families a local address on their street to visit after dark during the holidays to enjoy her festive Christmas light display.
She and her family got an unwelcome surprise, though, after leaving her home for around four hours on Monday, Dec. 10 to run various early week errands.
“When we came home to help a neighbor do something, that’s when my husband saw that the wires were cut,” Braud-Ritzmann said. “They were clearly cut – it wasn’t chewed on [by a rodent or an animal].”
The experience left she and her family angry and disappointed, putting a temporary damper on her family’s holiday spirit.
“My husband [and I were] pretty upset because [Christmas lights] are not cheap,” Braud-Ritzmann said. “He rigged it in a certain way and was able to wire them back together, but still, it’s like – who would do that? It doesn’t make sense.”
Braud-Ritzmann took to social media to share her disappointment that her display had been vandalized, sparking several other locals who spoke of having similar incidents this year and in years past. Christmas light strands are not always able to be repaired so easily and often need to be thrown away after being vandalized, some users commented, following their own vandalism experiences.
In a separate but similar post, one St. Charles Parish local reported having an entire Christmas light set of ornamental deer stolen off of their property earlier this month, which the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office also received a report on.
To help deter would-be Christmas display thieves and vandals this holiday season, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office (SCPSO) offered several tips for locals.
Consider adding security cameras or a video doorbell at your residence, as most people do not want to be caught on camera committing a crime, the Sheriff’s Office said in a recent interview.
“Do not put decorations close to the street,” Amanda Pertuis, SCPSO Public Information Officer, commented. “Use heavy-duty stakes to make it harder for someone to grab your decorations and go; this will also help keep them upright when it’s windy.”
The Sheriff’s Office also suggested residents consider using a staple gun or light clips to attach the wire for Christmas lights to your house, and if lights are strung in trees, use twist ties or zip ties to secure them in a few places. Keep lights on, and if Christmas lights are not kept on all night, the Sheriff’s Office suggested residents consider using an outdoor light or motion light.
“If you reside in St. Charles Parish and are a victim of theft or vandalism, contact the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office at 985-783-6807,” Sheriff Greg Champagne said.
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