Grinch steals Christmas decorations from family with sick boy

AUSTIN, Texas -- A Grinch stole Christmas from one Texas couple with a sick boy. A.J. and Jennifer Firenze were in the holiday spirit, so they decided to decorate their front yard early.

The couple spent an entire day setting up their son Landon's favorite inflatable characters. They thought the festive scene would cheer up their sick son.

"All the decorations that we had in the yard, he picked them out so it's close to his heart," A.J. Firenze told KEYE. "And we love Christmas, so we got an early start."

The family never expected a thief would creep onto their property in the cover of night and swipe their yard ornaments.

The heartbreaking incident left them wondering what happened to the Christmas spirit.

Firenze said, "We were crushed to say the least, to see it all missing. I mean, it was a bummer."

Firenze got home surveillance video from his neighbor. It revealed the thief getting out of a white truck at around 4:30 am and quickly taking the decorations before driving away.

Firenze immediately filed a police report.

Then the true giving spirit of Christmas showed up. What the family got in return was a gift they never expected.

"The police department came together and actually gave us a gift card to Home Depot, so we can pick out some more inflatables and redecorate our yard," Firenze said.

The family plans to use the gift card to replace the decorations and keep the spirit of Christmas alive for their son.

"Even when bad things happen, there's good people out there," said Firenze.