KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For the past 21 years, Chad Tucker has slowly grown his elaborate Christmas display to include more than a dozen inflatable decorations.
The idea came from an experience he had as a little boy.
"Every year, my neighbor across the street always put up Christmas decorations, and it was such an inspiration for me," Tucker said.
The display grew year after year until Tuesday night when Christmas crooks stole four of the giant inflatables in Tucker's front yard. It left his 10-year-old daughter Amber devastated.
Tucker took the rest of his decorations down, fearing the thieves might return. All that was left in the yard Thursday was a sign that read, "Merry Christmas. Our decorations were stolen."
"Just to let people know that I'm wishing them a Merry Christmas, that unfortunately, I wasn't able to provide a festive display for the neighborhood this year," he explained.
It was a heartbreaking sight for neighbors like Tom Comstock, who always looks forward to the winter wonderland down the street.
"I can't even imagine why someone would do something like that," Comstock said of the theft.
Other neighbors outraged by the theft took it upon themselves to drop off new decorations for the family, and one woman even started a GoFundMe to replace them.
The outpouring of support inspired Tucker, who now plans to put the rest of his decorations back up with surveillance cameras watching over them.
"I didn't realize what an impact it made on the neighborhood and the community with all the kids," Tucker said.
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