A family in northwest Calgary had their vehicle broken into over the weekend and says they had their faith in humanity restored when they checked the home’s surveillance footage.
A suspect walked into the driveway of the Stante home in Briar Hill on Saturday and opened an unlocked truck and started rifling through the contents inside.
The whole thing was caught on the home’s security camera and when Sano Stante saw the footage, he posted it on Facebook as a warning to neighbours to tighten their security.
“It was early Saturday morning and we’re looking for the Sunday Times and it hadn’t arrived so I thought I would just check the surveillance cameras and see if the paper was delivered so lo and behold I noticed some video of somebody pilfering through our vehicles and was a little bit alarmed by that so I thought maybe I should send the video out to the neighbourhood and just alert them that they should keep an eye open for these guys,” said Stante.
It’s what happened next that caught the family by surprise.
The next day, Stante found a parcel in the driveway so he checked the footage again and saw Santa as he sneaked into the scene, bearing gifts.
In the footage, Santa pulls out a large package and a handwritten note that said… “It’s a very busy time of year for me, but when I saw those naughty people going through your vehicle, I knew I had to make a special trip from the North Pole to restore the balance of karma in the universe. The contribution you make to the city and this community certainly put you on the nice list. Please share this bottle of wine with friends this season, and while you’re at it, let the world know that Briar Hill is a special place where neighbours care.”
“All the news that we get bombarded with everyday isn't always the best news. But when you get something like this happen to you, when somebody goes out of their way to make you feel good or just to make things right that's really special and it says a lot about humanity,” said Stante.
The package contained a bottle of wine and Stante says he knows it was a neighbour but has no desire to track down exactly who made the generous gesture.
