This holiday season has had a not-so-festive surprise for several Wilmot residents - stolen Christmas lights.

Ground-level kaleidoscope-style lights have become popular yard decorations for many residents across Waterloo Region, and they are also proving to be easy game for thieves this winter.

Residents of New Hamburg, Baden and Tavistock have all complained that someone is stealing their decorations - and Waterloo Region Police say it's been a common crime this holiday season.

Rob and Jacqueline Carter, who live in New Hamburg with their two children, were surprised to see their kaleidoscope lights disappear just a week after they bought them.

"Someone actually came up to our yard and yanked them out, which is fairly disturbing."

The Carters only spent about $30 for their new set of lights, while they purchased the floodlights a few years back for about $15 each.

It's not the value of the theft that bothers Rob Carter, but the fact that somebody would take the family's Christmas decorations right off their property.

"Someone actually came up to our yard and yanked them out, which is fairly disturbing," he said. "It seems like kind of a petty crime."

After taking to Facebook to let others know, it turned out that the Carters weren't the only victims in the Wilmot area. Several others replied that they had experienced similar thefts.

Other residents in Waterloo Region have reported this Christmas-themed crime, said the Waterloo Regional Police Services' Cherri Greeno. She thinks these thefts might be rising because more and more homeowners are putting these new projection-style lights outside their homes.

"Unfortunately, thieves are out in full force during the holiday season," Greeno said. "These are mostly just a stake in the ground, so it only takes a few seconds to take them and run off," she said. "It's more like a crime of opportunity."

Simple kaleidoscope lights can cost only $15 or $20, while more high-tech lasers that project special shapes can cost $100 and up.

Homeowners can record the serial numbers of their products or try to add a personal symbol to them so, if they are stolen, police are more likely to track them down, she added.

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Not every victim of this type of theft may think it's worthwhile to report it to police, due to the small value of the items. But reporting even this minor crime can help police track where this is happening, Greeno said, and possibly find out what thieves are doing with the stolen items.

"We're encouraging people to come forward, no matter how small the monetary amount," she said.