Saturday, December 24th 2016, 6:10 pm
A Christmas nightmare turned into a Christmas miracle for a Coweta family after coming home Friday to find everything in their house turned upside down.
Chrystal Sparks is no last-minute shopper.
A week ago she had all her presents wrapped and under the tree, until Friday when she says someone broke in, knocked down her Christmas tree and stole everything.
"It just crushed my heart because things I worked so hard for were gone," said Sparks.
When the Coweta Police Department found out, they went straight to work wrapping new presents for Sparks' sons.
Help from the Fraternal Order of Police and Walmart made it possible for every gift to be replaced.
And officers didn't want Sparks' seven-year-old son Sean and her 10-year-old son to go any longer thinking Christmas had been stolen from them.
Sergeant Fraley said, "We weren't going to let this Grinch steal Christmas."
So, Sean opened up every present his mom intended for him to have, including a gift she saved for all year.
"It took a lot of hard work to get those gifts," she said.
Watching Sean open his gifts allowed her to focus not on the terrible thing that happened but on how her community decided to do something about it.
"The people that were at Walmart last night and just chipped in, God bless you, God bless you so much," said Sparks.
But the presents aren't the only thing the family is receiving. They'll also receive a renewed sense of security, something you can get at the store.
"We're gonna drive by your house and we're gonna help keep you safe," Sergeant Fraley told Sean. "Your neighbors are gonna help watch your house, and we're gonna drive by more, so don't be afraid. We just want you to have a Merry Christmas, buddy okay?"
With a smile, Sean replied "okay."
"It was a blessing, a Christmas miracle," said Sparks. "It just makes my heart so happy to know that God did have his hand on us, and I appreciate it so much."
December 24th, 2016
November 13th, 2024
October 28th, 2024
October 17th, 2024
December 25th, 2024
December 25th, 2024
December 25th, 2024
December 25th, 2024