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No Joy: Vandal Strikes Couple’s Christmas Light Display
December 19, 2011
A large sign in their yard proclaims “JOY”, surrounded by Christmas lights that have always put joy into the hearts of a Century couple. But Agnes and Glen Grant just can’t understand why a vandal would destroy part of their gift to the community.
In the scheme of thousands of Christmas lights, the 13 strands that were cut and destroyed in their yard were really not that much — probably about $40 to replace, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.
“But I just can’t understand why anyone would want to destroy the lights,” Agnes Grant said.
Agnes and Glen have been married for 53 years, and they have decorated their large yard at the corner of Highway 29 and Elsie Davis Road for at least 25 years, she said. There are lighted trees, a manger scene, Disney characters and more along Highway 29 and Elsie Davis Road.
“We just love it,” she said. “Christmas decorating got into my blood as 10-12 year old child,” she said. “Dad started decorating outside with just one tree covered in blue lights. I remember walking out toward the road to make sure the lights were in perfect position. It was our family tradition.”
Now, Glen is facing health issues, his wife said, but the couple still gets great joy in looking at their lights and sharing them with the community.
“It’s Christmas,” she said, “I just can’t understand. The lights are so pretty.”
Pictured top: A sign proclaims Christmas JOY at the the home of Agnes and Glen Grant. Pictured inset: A manger scene is part of their display. Pictured below: A view from Highway 29 of the display, which also fronts Elsie Davis Road. NorthEsambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
22 Responses to “No Joy: Vandal Strikes Couple’s Christmas Light Display”
What a terrible thing to do!
Sorry to hear of this Mr. & Mrs. Grant
I hope they find out who did this foolishness, and punish them…
Bless you both
Happy Holidays!
Please don’t let this stop you or steal your joy, I had some of my displays stolen a couple of years ago and beleive it or not , they brought it back a couple of years later and laid it in my yard at Christmas. So let the Good Lord whip’em.
Fred
I am so sorry this happen to you guys. I always enjoy your display of lights and Christmas decorations. I guess as long as there is a world be will alwys have idiots around that the only joy they have is destroying other peoples property. I hope the law finds them and make them pay !
Set up a deer trail camera with Infrared flash.
also the ” driveway alerts ” are less than $20 at Harbor freight
God Bless and Merry Christmas
Hi girl friend I hope you got some of those to burn.We will drive by and see every thing You do a great job Faye
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: If you don’t have the JOY of Jesus in your heart to lead your actions what can you expect. Keep on spreading the cheer it is not in vain.
A good load of bird shot or even better a load of rock salt in their back side might just take the fun out of doing things like this.
Mr and Mrs Grant ,Iam so sorry about what someone did to your Christmas lights. if you ask me there are alot of people who enjoy this so much am sure everyone would take a night to hide and watch,You know to help the police out they have so much going on now with all of the break ins.lET THE ONES WHO DID THIS OR SOMEONE ELSE THINK ABOUT DOING IT, THEY WILL FIND OUT WHERE THEY WILL GO JAIL OR SOMEWHERE PUTTING UP LIGHTS FOR OTHERS WHO NEED HELP MERRY CHRISTMAS
I read this, this morning. I just don’t understand poeple. If you (whoever done this) need attention from someone. Let us know wh you are you will get your attention. You know your a idoit. And you can’t love life, by doing thing like this. You really need you tail beat. I sure you couldn’t handle that ’cause a wimp. You show your acts like this and you have hurt lots of children and the poeple who own these decorations. YOU NEED HELP. You need to find CHRIST.I don’t know these people but I did call them, and asked if they wanted CLEAR or COLORED lights. Iwas going to get how ever many they needed to fix what you done. Take your anger somewhere else. Don’t take it out on people things like this. God Bless these people.
So sorry those punks ruined your Christmas lights, they are there for everyone to enjoy hope this doesn’t stop ya’ll from doing it again after this. I had a life size “Praying Soldier” stolen from my yard (it was what is known as a yard shadow) all they had to do was knock on my door and I would have gladley let them use my pattern to make them one but the cowards would rather steal mine then make their on I guess all I can say is I hope they don’t have anyone in the military they are trying to honor with a stolen yard shadow. Anyway I hope ya’ll have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.
I am so sorry that this has happened. But please do not let it stop you from continuing this tradition. Everyone who drives this way enjoys your lights. Many folks have benefitted from your display and know that you do bring holiday magic to so many people.
It’s sad when sorry sons of strangers don’t know anything about building a thing of beauty so they are proud to destroy one. Maybe in time Christ will save their souls.
Please don’t let this effect your passion for decorating your yard. We enjoy riding by and seeing your many , many lights and displays. God Bless you both. MERRY CHRISTMAS ( whomever is to blame for this act of unkindness, Merry Christmas to you also. )
I do not understand what kind of pleasure anyone would get out of destroying such beauty. They need to be caught and made to help Glen and Agnes take it down this year and put it back up next year, then they can appreciate how much work it is to do this every year…I always like to see the display. Thank you so much for doing this every year….God Bless you two…
I grew up not far from the Grants house, and I can not remember a year that the Grants didn’t decorate. Not just Christmas but other holidays too. I ALWAYS looked forward to seeing their decorations and just this year as my husband and I were driving by their house on the way to my grandparents I noticed they had decorated and was so happy to see their yard looking so nice. I hate that someone damaged their property, it didn’t just ruin their property it ruins some of the christmas spirit for everyone in the area who grew up enjoying the display that Mr and Mrs Grant put up. I hope that the guilty person is caught and at the very least made to look Mr and Mrs Grant in the face and appologize.
Mr and Mrs Grant, thank you for decorating every year, it means so much to the community and people who grew up there and come back to visit family at the holidays. Please don’t let these brats who damaged your decorations keep you from celebrating the holidays and spreading JOY
Mr and Mrs Grant attend my church. They are such great people. I have know them since I was little. Every year My parents would take me by there house to look at there lights as soon as they got them up. Now I have a baby daughter and on church night I make sure to drive by slow so she can see all the pretty lights. This is a huge disappoinment. And I hate that something like this happened to them. God bless you guys and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
As bad as it is, I was guilty myself of doing some pretty rotten things as a kid. Over some 30 years ago, my friends and I would sneak out, meet up late at night and terrorize the neighborhoods of Atmore. Lucky were still alive. Unfortunately, we will still be reading about this kind of behavior in 30 more years. It just a fact that some kids seek thrills without thinking of the repercussions. Hopefully, whoever is responsible for this will look back one day a realize what a childish act of foolishness this was. It is true that this is the path straight to the penitentiary. For myself, I dodged that bullet, but some of the very friends that I mentioned earlier were not as fortunate and have found themselves losing many years of their freedom. You get one chance on this earth and it’s your choice on how you live it. The decision that you make WILL have a – or + effect on others. I personally hope you choose the latter.
Why do some of the people do any of the horrible stuff they do any time
of year? Who tries to ruin Christmas (Jesus’ birth) ? Who kills defenseless
pet cows? Who threw all the trash at the entrance to Pilgrim Trail?
Who robs old Ladies in Parking Lots? Who picks on the elderly and
the defenseless any time or any where?
2 legged ANIMALS
I try to think good thoughts in the morning but I grieve over these kind of stories. I have lost a lot of my positive attitude in the last few years.
So sorry to read about this, Glen and Agnes, We all enjoy seeing this up every year. God bless you.
I use to live down the road from them, and I ALWAYS looked forward to the lights and display’s they put in their yard. It was a joy to see. It such a shame that some ignorant person had to cause them this heartache. I wish they could find out how did it. They deserve to be punished!
I just can’t see any sense in this! Did they think this was fun!? I’m sure it was kids and I’m sure these ‘kids’ are a great disappointment to their parents. I feel sorry for Mr. and Mrs. Grant but also for the parents of these kids, for they must feel so much shame in their children.
I am so sorry to hear of this. How rotten! We make a point to check out your display every year and enjoy the work you put into it.
God Bless you!