SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Stacy Simmons woke up Christmas Eve to find that all of his children’s Christmas gifts had been stolen when thieves broke into his truck.
The out-of-work father estimates he spent about $500 buying all of the gifts on his four kids’ wish lists.
But things went wrong when he stopped off at his mother’s home early Tuesday morning at the Ashland Lakes Apartments in southeast Shelby County.
“Every year, it’s a tradition. When we get gifts and stuff, we came over here with her because she’s the expert on wrapping gifts,” Simmons said.
But this year, he did something he doesn’t usually do: he left the gifts in his truck.
“I winded up taking a nap instead of doing what I normally do, walking everything upstairs,” Simmons said.
About four hours later, Simmons came outside to find one of the windows on his truck had been smashed out, and all the gifts were missing, along with some pricey tools.
As Simmons struggles to come up with money to replace the gifts, his children are slowly adjusting to the idea of a Christmas without presents. Simmons is still holding out hope that it’s a Christmas they won’t have to have.
“I mean, I know it’s a long-shot, but return what you stole,” he said.
