Korry Taylor was hoping for “a Christmas miracle” after someone stole the large, wooden Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from atop the entrance sign to her Rolling Hills Estates neighborhood.

Taylor didn’t get the miracle she was hoping for — that a prankster would return Rudolph — but she’s just as pleased at the miracle she did receive.

Her husband, Tim Taylor, worked furiously to build a new wooden Rudolph to replace the one that was stolen on the evening of Dec. 12 from the entrance sign to Ranchview Road at Palos Verdes Drive North.

He drew the design for this one from photos of the stolen Rudolph. And when he finished cutting it from wood, children’s book author and illustrator Erin Eitter Kono painted the world-renowned reindeer so it could be hoisted atop the sign in time for Christmas.

Residents of the Ranchview neighborhood gathered Sunday evening to watch as Rudolph was lifted back atop the 8-foot-tall sign.

Korry Taylor, president of the Ranchview Homeowners Association, thought the neighborhood would have to wait another year to see a new Rudolph, which has become something of a landmark in the community.

Various versions of the reindeer have marked the holiday season there for more than 50 years until thieves — more than one would have been needed since Rudolph weighed 200 pounds — plucked him away in darkness. All that was left was a string of Christmas lights, a broken antler and an oversized martini glass, which Rudolph used to sip from.

Tim Taylor had built the previous reindeer about six years ago to replace one that had weathered and deteriorated. A Hollywood set designer painted that version.

This time, the Taylors aren’t taking any chances. The latest incarnation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will be fixed more securely to the top of the sign. The neighborhood pitched in to cover the cost of supplies, and kids even helped paint Rudolph’s coat.

“I can’t even believe that we did it in time — it’s turned a heartbreak into a heartwarming story,” Korry Taylor said. “We feel like the Grinch stole Rudolph, but he didn’t steal our Christmas spirit.”