Secure your holiday decorations, Winnipegger warns after projectors stolen from his front yard

A St. Boniface resident is warning neighbours to secure any front-yard Christmas decorations after somebody stole a pair of snowflake projectors he'd put out — despite his best efforts to make them theft-proof.

Perry Blomquist said he'd had the decorations out in his yard for about a week before they disappeared Monday night. When plugged in, the machines projected moving, animated snowflakes onto the side of his house, to the delight of his young children, ages three and six.

"It gives a lot of happiness to my kids and the neighbours. Someone took that away," he said. "So just, everybody secure their stuff. It's terrible. It sucks."

Blomquist, who lives in Winnipeg's St. Boniface neighbourhood, said he'd secured the decorations with several zip ties and heavy cords so that a thief couldn't just unplug them and walk away.

"You'd have to cut it. And, well, that's what they did," Blomquist said. "They cut right through, took the cord and everything."

Whoever stole the machines left the remaining wire in the snow, leaving a safety hazard for him and his family, Blomquist added. The following morning, he and his kids went to turn the lights on as normal before they noticed the theft.

"They weren't happy. Every morning we get up and they want to turn on the lights as soon as they possibly can, at six in the morning," he said. "We turned it on and they weren't there."

Blomquist's wife reported the theft to police, he said.

'I don't want it to happen again'

On Tuesday, Winnipeg Police Service Const. Jay Murray said while theft of Christmas lights hung on houses is almost unheard of, yard decorations are sometimes stolen.

"Most thefts are a crime of opportunity and unfortunately, these devices are often left unsecured and alone in a front yard," Murray wrote in an email. "We would encourage homeowners to do their best to secure these devices."

Blomquist said the projectors were worth about $30 for the pair, and he's not convinced a thief could get very much for them on resale.

He's lived in the neighbourhood for 10 years and said he's noticed crime in the area getting worse and more frequent recently. He's not sure if he'll put out more lights to replace the stolen ones.

"I might, but I don't know what I can do differently. I don't want it to happen again," he said.

He may put up lights in his backyard or inside his home, he said. He's hoping the theft won't extinguish the Christmas spirit in his household.

"It's going to put a dampener on it," he said. "I think we can repair it. I'll do what I can."