Regardless of where you live, for many, Christmas is a much anticipated time of year.

“It's a time to get together with family, a time to give praise and it's much more about giving then it is about receiving,” explained Bryan resident John McGuire. “One of the reasons we put the lights out is so others can enjoy it too.”

It's also a prime time for hungry thieves -- John McGuire knows firsthand.

"After we finished counting we found that five of our Christmas decorations had been stolen sometime during the night," McGuire added. “I was very surprised, so we called the police.”

Both he and his wife woke up Sunday morning to find missing Christmas decorations, including one sentimental Angel that has been with the family for more than 25 years.

"It did mean a lot, but the memories are still here so we will never lose those," McGuire explained. “That Angel had been with us since our kids were small and our kids have grown—and we also had a teeter-totter with Santa on one end and a reindeer on the other, which was motorized and would go back and forth. That’s gone.”

Police say it is crime that happens every year. Officer Rhonda Seaton with the College Station Police Department say plywood cut-outs, inflatables, and lighted figures such as reindeer are a favorite among thieves during the holidays.

"It tends to happen in spurts,” said College Station Police Public Information Officer, Rhonda Seaton. “They're not taking those decorations for monetary means; they just want to take them to be mean. What they want to do is snatch them, grab them and run; they don't want any resistance."

“Every one of these pieces were staked down and connected to an extension cord for electricity,” said McGuire. “They not only had to rip them up out of the ground with the stakes, but also had to disconnect them from the electricity.”

Depending on the value of the decorations stolen, if caught, the penalty could result in jail time.

“If they steal a $200 cut-out, that's absolutely something they'll go to jail for,” Seaton explained.”

In the meantime, McGuire says these signs are serving as a replacement but more importantly as a reminder in hopes other would-be thieves will be thinking twice.

"This kind of thing could happen to you, take precautions,” he said. “But were not going to stop and go hide. All you can do is try and be vigilant and try to be good neighbors and try to lessen the possibility of this happening.”

The College Station Police Department offers the following suggestions for citizens who place decorations outside:

For plywood cut-outs - Drive a 1/4" - 1/2" conduit pipe approximately one foot into the ground and then use conduit strap to fasten the conduit to the plywood. Use a permanent marker or engraving tool to write your 8 digit Texas Driver’s License number or place some other unique identifying mark on the back of the cut-out.

For Inflatables - If a loop or strap is provided, use a long tent stake (approximately one foot) to secure it. Write your 8 digit Texas Driver’s License number (or some other unique identifying mark) somewhere on the decoration.

For lighted figures - (lighted reindeer) - Use a long tent stake (approximately one foot) to secure it. Again, for metal figures use an engraver to mark your property and for plastic figures use a permanent marker.

When securing your decorations please be careful of underground objects such as sprinkler systems, cable, and other hazards before driving conduit or stakes into the ground. In spite of these precautions you may still become a victim of theft; therefore, it is also a good idea to take a few pictures of your work. The pictures will help police prepare a better report as well as aiding in identifying your items should they be recovered later.