Police say a man near Clearfield reported several Christmas decorations missing earlier this week.

He’d put them on an evergreen tree, high on an abandoned railroad bridge that’s difficult to get to.

Now, the disappearance of the decorations has many people upset — and even taking action.

“There were lights on down there and I thought it was a train sitting there,” says neighbor Fred Leavy.

Leavy didn’t know what to think when the lights first appeared a few years ago near Route 322. He soon traced them to a neighbor.

“So I saw Boo and I said, ‘Hey Boo, what did you do?’ and he said he went and bought these lights that work on a solar cell,” says Leavy.

Arnold Swales, nicknamed Boo, works at the sewer plant. He told me that the tree grew there and he’s been watching it since it was three feet tall.

Swales has decorated it for three years now, but Saturday morning, when he went to check on it after a windy stormy night, it was a disaster! He suspected vandals, and called police on Monday, police said.

“I’ve seen that tree there on the railroad there many times. I even said to my husband that I want to go over there and decorate that tree,” says neighbor Kathie Ann Pearcy.

There are plenty of decorations on houses here in the nearby Goldenrod neighborhood and people here are upset to hear about the ones missing from that tree.

“Oh no!” says Pearcy.

“I didn’t notice they were gone,” says neighbor Steve Pearcy. “I think it’s a shame that someone took it down but you’re going to have people who’re going to steal things, people are going to take things.”

Swales said with the solar lights, angel, ornaments, and garland gone, he’s done until next year.

“I wouldn’t blame him if he did because that’s just kind of sad for them to do it and would be very discouraging,” says neighbor David King.

Then, when we were about to leave, two women pulled up asking how to get to the tree. One of them had posted on Facebook on Tuesday after hearing about the vandalism.

“Other people in the community saw it, sent me messages, dropped stuff off,” says Good Samaritan Angie Peters.

“My kids really enjoy it when we drive past here and now you know every year that it’s going to be here,” says Good Samaritan Kassi Dixon.

Minding the height and the sharp needles on the tree, the fast-working lunch ladies quickly dressed it up on Wednesday afternoon.

“I love Christmas. Christmas is my favorite holiday and if we can make anybody happier at Christmas time, we’ll do it,” says Peters. 

“Giving back!” says Dixon. “I hope that he’s not bummed out about it this year and I hope that next year he’ll do it again.”