Family history stolen: Roseville couple offer reward for return of Christmas ornaments

A Roseville family is looking for answers after more than 100 Christmas ornaments were stolen off their front porch on Sunday.

Erika Clesi was spending that afternoon helping her 72-year-old grandparents decorate their home for Christmas.

Michael and Lisa Holmes have lived in their home on Main Street for 30 years, and have been collecting and exchanging Hallmark ornaments for even longer than that. The Holmeses have Lionel train sets, snowmen and personalized photos from their grandchildren — all sentimental family treasures, stolen just before Christmas

The couple stores their ornaments in large cardboard boxes, and on Sunday, they placed the boxes on the porch as they filled their home with Christmas villages, garland and lights for the holiday season. Clesi said it’s likely the thief mistook a large Target box for a package delivered to the home, grabbing it around 8:30 p.m.

In a strange twist, the thief returned six personalized ornaments to the porch days later, realizing the pieces had family photos inside.

Clesi estimated the box of ornaments to be worth nearly $3,000. Most Hallmark ornaments range from $17 to $25.

“What are you going to do with the ones that say Erika and Skyler on it?”

The couple had yet to purchase their Christmas tree.

“Their spirits are down and heartbroken,” Clesi said. “I don’t know if they want to decorate it with all of the missing items.”

Clesi said the theft dampened their holiday mood. On Thursday, Clesi purchased her own Hallmark ornaments to gift to her family this year, choosing to continue the family holiday tradition, especially because they have lost so many.

“In a season that is supposed to be about giving, it’s so unfortunate that people would rather take and ruin the holiday spirit for someone else,” she said “They don’t know what a person could be going through. It’s so unfortunate that there are these types of people in the world.”

Clesi said the family simply wants the box of ornaments back and offered a $500 reward if they are returned.

“We are willing to pay, we just want them returned,” Clesi said. “We don’t want to press charges and we don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

The family chose not file a report with the Roseville Police Department.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Ryan Clesi at 916-643-3951.