CANTON — Charlotte Taylor and her family spent weeks putting up Christmas lights at their home on Colony Drive in the River Falls subdivision.

Overnight Saturday, vandals tried to destroy the display.

Taylor, her husband and her mother slept through the night and awoke to the damage Sunday morning.

“It’s very scary. They came within three feet of the handrail of my house,” she said.

The vandals broke the family’s Christmas decorations and threw eggs at their house, Taylor said. She first noticed the damage because of a smudge on a glass door.

The Taylors spent nights and weekends working on the lights for the last four weeks.

“We do it for the neighbors’ kids. Our kids are grown,” Taylor said.

Officer Pacer Cordry with the Canton Police Department said the department usually receives “at least a couple” reports of holiday vandalism during the Christmas season.

“We beef up some of our patrols this time of year,” he said, adding that officers are paying particular attention to areas where vehicle break-ins are likely.

Thanks to her husband and her “wonderful” neighbors, Taylor said almost all of the decorations have been repaired and are shining brightly once again.

“We’ve had cookies brought to us. We’ve had cakes. We’ve had people saying they’re sorry and bringing decorations they weren’t using,” she said. “The Grinch did not win.”