BOUNTIFUL—Christmastime brings joy, love and thoughts of helping others so when a couple in a Bountiful neighborhood came home to find that eight feet had been cut off of the top of a 15 foot spruce tree on private property it was quite a shock. This isn’t the first time for the same neighborhood either. A similar thing happened a few years ago.

“The idea that someone thinks that somehow this is OK to cause so much damage just to save a few dollars on a Christmas tree is hard to believe,” said the owner (who asked not to be named). “The irony – someone celebrating Christmas with a stolen tree. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.”

It must have happened Thanksgiving night, he said. “We speculate it was late at night because not many people go by and it’s about 200 feet from the house so you probably wouldn’t see or hear anything.”

“It’s almost like a scene out of a holiday tale gone wrong – waking up to find a tree that once stood tall and proud suddenly sheared off,” said the neighbor who lives across from the property. “It’s as if the Grinch himself came through and took a piece of the neighborhood’s heart. It’s not just a tree, it’s a symbol of our shared holiday spirit that someone decided to take away. We hope this reminds everyone to spread kindness, not take it away, especially this time of year.”

They don’t know what goes into growing a tree, said the owner’s wife. “The tree was a reminder of my grandparents. Wherever they would go they would always plant a tree.”

She said they thought of decorating what’s left of the tree. “Maybe we could give a little bit of life into the poor tree that was lopped off. When we first planted the tree we had to water it all the time. Then we incorporated that with the grandkids and had them go down to water it.”

It had a ripple effect, she said. “The grandkids worked so hard. That’s why it means so much to us. They don’t realize how it would affect other people. I wonder what they’re thinking today.”

They knew what they were doing, she said. “They used a chain saw or something to cut it so that it fell toward the road. It got the tree closer to where they could pick it up.”

“We reported it to the police but they hold little hope that these crimes will ever be solved,” said the owner. “There’s no camera footage that has turned up but the search continues.”

If they're caught they could face severe legal consequences, he said. “The police mentioned likely charges such as trespass, property damage and grand larceny which is a felony.”

Now the owners are left with a dilemma about what to do with the tree. “If we leave it the tree will live but it will take 10-15 years for it to have a new top,” he said. “The options are to dig it out and replace it with a 12 foot Colorado Blue Spruce. When I contacted a landscaper to get a bid it would surpass $1,500. I don’t know exactly what to do – it’s an eyesore.”

“I have to think ‘Who am I? Am I too angry that I want to go after them or think of a way that I can help make things better?’” said his wife. “I try to think of what my grandmother would do. She would probably invite them over to dinner or bring them rolls.”