Nancy Brown got a slap in the face when she stepped outside her Inver Grove Heights home Thursday morning — and it wasn’t from the bitter cold.

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Inver Grove Heights woman charged in connection with St. Paul shooting, robbery Brown discovered the elaborate Christmas lights display that she and her husband, Rodney, have been bringing to throngs of visitors every year since 1995 had been vandalized.

“I was hurt, very hurt,” Nancy Brown said.

Sometime between 10 p.m. Wednesday, when the lights went off, and 7 a.m. Thursday, she said, a vandal or vandals knocked over and broke a Santa train, an angel and several other statues. Electrical cords were yanked from outlets, causing the front side of the home to go dark.

On Thursday evening, she had stern words for those responsible: “What you’re doing is you’re hurting everyone who comes to see this.”

Brown estimated the display at 8450 Ann Marie Trail attracts more than 500 visitors on weekdays and up to 3,000 a day on weekends.

“It’s a regular traffic jam around here,” she said.

The Browns have more than 400 statues in their yard — and countless lights.

“We don’t count the lights,” said Brown, 62. “We count the smiles.”

The Browns spend every weekend and most nights from Labor Day until Thanksgiving setting everything up.

The couple spent nearly $8,000 this year alone on all the lumber, paint, electrical cords, new items for the displays and inflatables — and that doesn’t include the electric bill.

Every night, no matter the weather, the Browns also become Santa and Mrs. Claus to greet visitors and pass out candy canes.

“We try to make everyone feel welcome,” she said.

On Thursday, Brown shared the vandalism news in a post on the Facebook page “Santa’s House in Inver Grove Heights,” which has more than 4,000 likes. The bad news attracted plenty of angry comments, and lots of gratitude to the Browns.

“This is so heartbreaking! My kids love stopping,” one Facebook user commented. “People are so rude!”

The vandalism also spurred someone to set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the Browns. By Thursday evening, more than $500 of the $8,000 goal had been raised.

“That shocked me!” Brown said. “It’s great. It sure helps. … Wow! See, people do love what we do.”