“Hello, would you like to bring our Christmas tree back to Doelstraat? We understand that you want to borrow it, but we miss it very much!” This can be read on a beautifully decorated sign in the Doelstraat in the Haarlem Vijfhoek. The Christmas tree that neighbors had bought and decorated together was stolen by strangers.
Resident Rogier Tijm discovered the theft on Monday morning. “The municipality had placed a large planter here. There was nothing in it yet, except soil. During a Christmas drinks a few weeks ago we thought it would be nice to put a Christmas tree in it.”
And that happened. The tree with root ball was planted and decorated. Tijm: “It was one big party. It looked beautiful and fun.” But the tree disappeared during the night from Sunday to Monday.
Very sad
Rogier Tijm: “The children were of course very disappointed. It’s really sad that you take or destroy other people’s things like that. A completely wrong Christmas idea.” Sophie – Tijm’s eldest daughter – made a sign last night on behalf of all the children in the street. In the hope that the thief will regret it and return the tree.
And if that doesn’t happen? Rogier Tijm: “Maybe the board will still provide something nice. There may be a gardener who still has a small tree left. And people from Haarlem who can spare some balls or lighting?”
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