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KAYSVILLE — A Grinch at work in Kaysville last weekend tried to steal Christmas at one residence. Vandals tore down lights and dragged the character statues from a nativity scene down the street.
However, Christmas will still go on for the Wilkinson family this year — and it might even be a little bit brighter.
Bright colorful bulbs, and solemn nativity scenes light up the neighborhood with joy for Christmas. Roy and Elaine Wilkinson have decorated their home with a nativity scene for years.
“We had Mary and Joseph and Jesus,” Roy Wilkinson said. “We’ve had them for 25 years. They’re heirlooms, family heirlooms.”
It was a simple manger, he said, but the Precious Memories statuettes became special to the family.
“We had Christmas lights,” Wilkinson said. “We had musical lights that played Christmas hymns.”
It wasn’t a fancy display, he said, but it was fairly elaborate.
On Friday night, the couple came home and discovered the vandalism.
“We came home and it was gone,” Wilkinson said. “Totally gone.”
They found their Christmas lights broken in the middle of the street. Mary and Joseph had been dragged down the block.
“Jesus — gone. We don’t know where he went,” Wilkinson said. “We don’t know what happened to him. No trace of Jesus.”
The Wilkinsons were left bewildered by the senseless vandalism.
“Destroy it, they did,” Wilkinson said. “What kind of a person would do that kind of a thing?”
His daughter, Rachel Barton, couldn’t believe somebody could be so mean for Christmas.
“It literally made tears come to my eyes, and I just had to do something about it,” she said.
Barton felt like she had to make it right.
“My poor dad is the nicest, sweetest person,” she said.
She rallied family and friends to deliver Christmas carols, a new nativity scene, and some Christmas cash for other needs around the house.
As the group sang carols on the from yard, the Wilkinsons emerged, saw the new nativity scene, and joined in on the carols.
“I wanted to show you there was still a lot of good in the world,” Barton told her father.
“Good is better than evil,” he replied.
Even before he knew friends were plotting to help him, Wilkinson shared this perspective.
“The Grinch is one of my favorite stories,” he said.
You remember, of course, the Grinch stole all of the presents from Whoville, but Christmas went on anyway.
“They cannot ruin Christmas, no matter what they do,” Wilkinson said. “It will still continue on.”
His friends and family made sure.
“I’m just so happy that it worked out that way,” Barton said. “It was the best Christmas for me ever.”
The spirit of Christmas is alive at the Wilkinson residence, but they would still like to get baby Jesus back.
