Yolanda Phillips has lived in the same Silver Springs, Maryland neighborhood for almost 50 years. This year marks the first time there’s been a vehicle break-in and theft. Many of her neighbors were victims of the same thief, including herself. Her windows were shattered, but nothing inside went missing.

“We have a really quiet, peaceful street,” Phillips told DC News Now. “I’ve been here for 45 years. That’s never happened. It’s very peaceful here. It’s dead quiet.”

The car was new – a gift to her from her children.

“I just got it for my birthday in October as a gift from my children,” she said.

The theft and the need for a new window were frustrating, but what broke Yolanda’s heart was the theft of her Christmas tree strapped to the roof of her car.

“You just don’t take a Christmas tree at Christmas,” she said. She bought the tree to celebrate that holiday with her grandson. Normally, she doesn’t have a tree – but she wanted his holiday to be special.

“I bought the tree because my grandson will be visiting for Christmas, and I normally just have a little tabletop Christmas tree,” said Yolanda. “I think it’s a continuation of that type of mentality where there’s just no respect for the people, the inconvenience, the cost of all this behavior.”

Neighbors caught the Grinch on camera

Her neighbor’s street-facing security camera caught a young thief running down the street. When she saw the footage, she felt her heart break a little more.

“You can see them running with a Christmas tree, the box, down the street… and I’m like, that’s my Christmas tree! What are they going to do with it? You know, go sell it, I guess,” said Phillips.

She was mostly upset because the thief appeared to be so young.

“I have to wonder, if that happened to their grandmothers, how would they feel about that? I’d like to think they’re still young enough that they can feel something, and I hope they do feel that they’ve done the wrong thing,” she continued.

Christmas still came for her family

Despite the theft and her strong feelings, her son came to the rescue before her grandson arrived.

“I have to show you my new tree here. I’ll tell you I was very surprised,” she told reporters. “Come to find out if was my dear son. Yes, he ordered me a new tree.”