To celebrate the approaching Easter holiday, some Powell residents set up colorful, festive decorations in their yards. Though the springtime holiday draws fewer residential displays than the bright lights of Christmas, decorating remains an important tradition for a number of local families who take pride in sharing their holiday spirit with the community.

Sadly, repeated thefts soured the holiday tradition at a Powell home known for its festive decorations.

On the corner of Fourth and Clark streets, just north of the middle school, Shauna Sickinger and Nicole Goubeaux have decked out their home with decorations for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Memorial Day, and, yes, Easter.

Until now. Last week, they took down their Easter decorations, after being targeted with repeated thefts.

After their 7-foot Easter bunny was stolen from their yard, Sickinger and Goubeaux publicly said they forgave whoever took the rabbit named Roger. They replaced the rabbit decoration with two more — only to have another one stolen.

It’s disappointing when Powell residents feel like they can no longer have holiday displays, because of the worry that someone will steal or vandalize their property.

Unfortunately, Easter bunny thefts aren’t an isolated case. In mid-March, a couple on North Division Street said after three flags were stolen and decorations were vandalized repeatedly, they cannot continue to decorate their home.

“We are retired and on a fixed income, and we just cannot afford to keep paying to replace the stolen/ruined items … I thought we left this kind of trouble behind when we moved away from the ‘big city,’ but I guess there are dishonest people everywhere who have no regard for others’ property,” wrote Pam and Dennis Kresky in a recent letter to the editor.

Those who stole decorations around town should be ashamed of themselves.

Holiday displays often signify deeper meaning, whether it’s faith or tradition. To the perpetrators who stole the items, it may seem like a harmless prank. But to residents who awake to see their yard vandalized, it’s disheartening and frustrating.

During the 2007 Christmas season, a Powell family on Cheyenne Street was victimized twice with theft. However, in what the family called a Christmas blessing, a man showed up on the family’s doorstep a couple of weeks later with $150 to replace the stolen decorations, assuring they wouldn’t be taken again.

We hope there’s a similar happy ending for the victims of the most recent holiday decoration thefts.

And we also challenge all residents to show respect. Basic respect of another person’s property — be it their home, flag or even an Easter bunny — goes a long way to ensure holidays remain joyous times to share with the community.