December 23rd 2024.
Next up, let's talk about a recent event that has left a restaurant owner in Arizona feeling absolutely devastated. It all started when a family with young children decided to help themselves to some of the Christmas decorations outside of the restaurant, Burgers by the Bridge. Harriet Mclearen, the owner, was hurt by what she saw as the parents teaching their kids to steal.
The couple and their three young children took off with a 15-foot inflatable reindeer, valued at $350, as well as several candy cane ornaments. This entire incident was caught on camera, but Harriet, who is 60 years old, has decided to keep the rest of her decorations up, determined not to let this ruin her Christmas spirit.
Harriet shared, "I am beyond hurt. They went through and stole all my candy canes off the light poles. I had to take down all my decorations. I was so upset. I was going to take everything down. What hurt me the most was that someone was teaching their kids to steal."
She went on to say that it would have been different if it was just teenagers, but seeing parents with their children out stealing was heartbreaking. Harriet realized that her 15-foot inflatable reindeer, named Rudolph, was missing around 2 pm on December 7th. After reviewing the security footage, it was clear that the family had taken both Rudolph and the candy canes.
Harriet shared, "I was crying because I love that big reindeer. I spend so much money and time on making my decorations beautiful. Rudolph was in a case next to where he stays by the sleigh."
When the local police department showed up, they reviewed the footage and saw five unknown individuals, two adults and three juveniles, stealing various Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, due to the quality of the footage, the suspects have not yet been identified, but the case is still under investigation.
Thankfully, after sharing the news of the theft online, Harriet's customers and community have come together to support her. She has even planned a "Rudolph party" to thank her customers for their support and to show that this incident will not ruin her festive season.
Harriet shared, "I was so upset. I said I'm going to take all my Christmas ornaments down. But my town wouldn't let me. They said, 'No, our family comes to your restaurant, we love your decorations, it's the highlight of Christmas.'"
She continued, "It's sad, but I can't ruin everyone else's Christmas. We're not going to let them ruin our Christmas. We're going to make a party out of it. That's the only way."
The community has reached out to Harriet, offering to buy her a new reindeer and even bringing her candy canes. One of her regular customers even brought her a card with money inside, saying that her late father used to love coming to the restaurant and sitting in the sleigh to enjoy the decorations.
In the end, Harriet shared that she feels incredibly grateful for the love and support from her community. She won't let this incident get her down and is determined to keep spreading Christmas cheer with her beautiful decorations.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
