Police in Corinth, Texas, said a family's award-winning Christmas lights show was destroyed shortly after midnight Friday by a drunk stranger heading home from a New Year's party.
The Steelman family estimates the vandals caused about $3,500 in damage and are not sure if they will be able to do the annual show again next year.
"It's just a mixture of all the emotions. I'm sad, angry, upset that this could happen," said 18-year-old Addison Steelman, who spent three months synchronizing the lights.
The Steelmans have created a synchronized Christmas lights display set to music over a low-power radio station for the last five years. The process involves more than three months of planning and preparation and hours of back-breaking labor. There are about 60,000 lights in the show.
Hundreds of families every year visit the house on Nightingale Lane to see the show. Many deliver hand-written thank-you cards or cookies.
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But after midnight, as the Steelman family was getting ready for bed, they heard several people in the front yard causing a commotion. They turned off the show and called police, who arrested 24-year-old Justin Fletcher.
The family said officers told them Fletcher was clearly inebriated. He tore through the front yard doing as much damage as possible with his hands and feet.
"I don't know why someone would have so much hatred against someone they don't even know," Addison Steelman said. "My sister started crying; I was trying to comfort her. It was just devastating, honestly."
With thousands of dollars in damage, the New Year is off to a difficult start for the Steelman family.
"As a homeowner, I feel a bit violated," said father Ken Steelman. "And as a dad, you feel sad, because my kids do this because of the good it brings to our community."
Family members said they would like to do another show next year but need help buying new LED lights.
The Steelmans have set up a GoFundMe page for donations to buy new lights.
