Melissa Vess refuses to let vandalism dampen her Christmas spirit.

For 12 years, the Federal Way woman’s holiday lights have brightened up her home and neighborhood on South 288th Place.

Last Friday, she discovered that the light cords had been severed. Vess repaired the display to make it “better and brighter,” she said. However, someone returned the next night and slashed the lights again. This time, the wires were cut in eight places.

“We’ve never had a problem,” said Vess, adding that it takes about a month to install hundreds of dollars worth of Christmas lights. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Vess now has fewer lights on her house and yard. She’s afraid to rebuild the display to its former size for fear that the culprit will come back.

“Repairing strands and strands of lights or buying them new, that gets expensive,” Vess said. “I don’t know why someone would do that. Maybe we have a Scrooge.”

She thanked Federal Way Police Officer Nick Wong for his support in handling the vandalism report. In the end, all she wants to do is spread a little holiday cheer for the neighborhood.

“Do I want to put the whole thing up again? Yes.”

Before and after photos:

Anyone with information on suspects involved with the vandalism can contact the Federal Way Police Department at (253) 835-6700.