At almost three years old, even Aliyah Peeples is smart enough to sniff out the injustice.
"Did you steal my Christmas lights?" she asked the 7 Action News crew Monday when they arrived at her house.
Aliyah's mother, Alley Kostamo, said thieves stole LED projector lights over the weekend. The single mother said their first Christmas in their Westland home was supposed to be one to remember. She was thrilled to find a set of three projector lights at a great bargain last week, and installed them on the front lawn Thursday night. Aliyah loved seeing the multi-colored lights.
That small joy was rudely stolen Sunday morning.
“I woke up and I realized the light switch was on but there wasn’t any lights reflecting into the house," Kostamo said.
"Everything was gone. Everything but the extension cord," she added.
The lights were plucked right from the ground, along with some string lights decorating the bushes. It’s not the monetary value Kostamo says she’s devastated about, but the magic of Christmas the thief or thieves took from her daughter.
“Knowing that a kid’s here, you know, how can somebody do such a thing?” Kostamo said.
Those projector lights were such a hot item this season, they now sold out wherever Kostamo looked. She bought a single light as a replacement, but little Aliyah would be happier if this Grinch had a change of heart. “Give me back my lights!" she appealed to the camera.
Westland police say they get a handful of reports about stolen decorations every holiday season.
