Grinches Steal Holiday Decorations in Eastridge Neighborhood

It’s a Borderland favorite and an El Paso holiday tradition, but this year, a few grinches are putting a damper on the annual Christmas lights display in the Eastridge neighborhood.

“Lights will get broken or something will get unplugged, but it doesn’t deter us,” Isis Hernandez said. “We keep going.”

For 14 uears, Hernandez has kept the lights on all her displays going.

“We had the Mr. and Mrs. Santa. Unfortunately, the Mr. Santa got stolen. So now Mrs. Santa has become a Mr. Santa,” Hernandez said. “It looks pretty good, except don’t get too close because you will see the long eyelashes on her.”

Residents in the neighborhood are used to stealing the holiday spotlight. They’re not used to thieves stealing their decorations.

“It frustrates a lot of neighbors,” Terry Gomez said. “One of the ways some neighbors are trying to make sure their holiday display stay put is by using chains to make sure their decorations don’t go anywhere.”

To avoid broken lights, residents have also left some space between their displays and the sidewalk. They are also pitching in $100 dollars per household for security.

“A neighbor gave us a great deal,” Hernandez said. “He has a security vehicle and it’s all equipped with lights and everything. So he has spotlights. We can see him at night and we feel very safe.”

They say it’s a small price to pay to make sure their expensive displays stay in their yards.

“I have about 3 or 4 thousand dollars worth of lights at my house,” Hernandez said. “yes, it’s a lot, but it’s worth every penny.”

Residents hope the rest of the neighborhood, even the residents who don’t put up lights, feels the same way.

“We’ve had several neighbors…some who have moved out, some who have gotten divorced, some who have passed away. And everybody here has offered to put lights on their homes,” Hernandez said. “I mean there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have any decorations up, esp because we know that this is a tradition.”

Neighbors say thieves may come after their decorations, but they can’t steal their holiday cheer.

“It’s something we do from the heart,” Gomez said. “Please come to Eastridge. Please enjoy the gift that we give to you.”

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