A Winnipeg woman is upset and wants to know why someone would go to such Grinch-like lengths to steal her Christmas light.

Darlene Geiger said she believes a cab driver was the culprit who took her brand new projector light from the front yard of her home on Jamison Avenue just after midnight on Dec. 12.

Geiger said she first noticed her light missing in the early hours of Saturday morning after waking up to let her dogs outside.

"Who the heck would take that?" said Geiger. "I just thought it was maybe neighbourhood kids or something ... and I was very surprised it was a cab driver."

Security footage shows what appears to be a taxi cab driving slowly in front of the home. Seconds later a man walks on the front lawn.

The video then shows the man trying to pull the light off the ground. He was unsuccessful because the Christmas light was zip-tied several times to an extension cord.

Darlene Geiger is shocked after home security footage recorded a thief taking her Christmas projector light from her East Kildonan home on Dec. 12. (CBC) The footage then shows the man leaving the property.Seconds later he comes back and makes his way to the front door where the extension cord is plugged in. He then leaves the property again and comes back with what appears to be a lighter and burns the zip-tie and extension cord to get the light free.

"To see him come into my yard that many times to come right to the front door, I couldn't sleep after. He was persistant," Geiger said.

Geiger said she called police the next morning. She is in the process of handing over the security footage to police.

"It was scary, I was nervous wondering who does that?" she said.

Held accountable

Geiger said what's more concerning is that the thief may have been a taxi driver. She now wants to see him held accountable.

"The cab company probably shouldn't keep him employed," said Geiger.

It is not clear on the security footage what the name of the cab company is.

Geiger did contact one cab company. It told her that it needed the cab number on the vehicle before it could investigate. Geiger said she couldn't see a number on the footage.

Geiger purchased the Christmas light for $70 last month.

"All my neighbours were saying how nice it was," she said. "Now it's gone."

A spokesperson for Winnipeg Police Service said they're aware of the incident and are waiting for access to the surveillance video before a formal investigation can begin.