By Walt Hunter

VILLANOVA, Pa. (CBS) – You wouldn’t say that the Grinch stole Christmas, but some Grinch-like thieves have stolen a lot of Christmas decorations, hitting a half dozen homes Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Dave Spiller of Villanova says that the thieves who swiped Snoopy, his dog house, along with a decorative reindeer, a Christmas banner and a gift box, also stole some of the joy of Christmas from the Spiller children, who wait each year to see the glittering display at their grand mother’s house.

“You end up with a six and seven year-old kid crying, breaking open their piggy bank to try to give their grandmother money to go buy decoration’s that got stolen,” said Dave.

All that’s left on the Spiller property is a single reindeer, and the Spillers say they’re not sure when or if they will be able to find any replacements.

“You cannot even find them anymore, we looked all day on the Internet trying to find a deer similar and couldn’t find them anywhere.”

Radnor police say the same thieves may have struck half a dozen homes on nearby streets overnight Saturday. In some cases, stealing blow up figures, or trying to rip away hanging decorations.

“They ruin Christmas, essentially for families, by stealing these items and decorations off their front lawns,” said Sgt. Andy Block of the Radnor Police Department.

Police and the Spillers say the real crime here is taking away a part of the joy and wonder that makes this season so special.

“If they want to bring it back, I won’t ask any questions. We do this stuff mainly for the kids. That is who they are stealing from really.,” said Spiller.

Police don’t have a description but they do say ‘be on the alert’ and if you see someone out around your decorations at midnight or in the early morning hours, call police immediately.