TUCSON, ARIZONA: As the gift-giving season approaches, a Grinch has struck, dimming the Christmas spirit in a Tucson household.

On the night of November 19, Maricela McCreight's car, filled with holiday gifts, was stolen from her apartment complex. However, the Pima County Sheriff's Department recovered her car on the night of November 20, bringing relief to Maricela.

Maricela McCreight desperate to 'get those gifts back'

Nevertheless, the vehicle suffered damage, and the contents within were not recovered.

McCreight expressed, "I just wanted the car back so we could get those gifts back."

The stolen car's trunk had all the Christmas presents she had carefully chosen for her two children.

"Me and my boyfriend went and got them their Christmas presents. And we had them in the trunk because we didn't want them to see. And they're gone," lamented McCreight.

A couple of years ago, Fox 10 Pheonix reported a similar case. A Glendale family experienced heartbreak as someone made off with the majority of their Christmas gifts from beneath the tree.

In a heartening turn of events, less than 24 hours later, the Glendale Police stepped in to uplift the family's spirits by replacing some of the stolen presents.

Back then, the family reflected on the common occurrence of people falling victim to theft, particularly during the holiday season. Richard Moreno, who was robbed off his Christmas presents, never fathomed that he would personally encounter such an incident, despite being familiar with the frequent tales of such unfortunate events.

Not-so-happy Christmas for Tucson household

Despite recovering the car, the ignition lay in ruins, and the interior was in disarray.

McCreight revealed, "I was almost done paying the car off. I had about 3 to 5 more months left to pay it off. I've put in about $11,000 into this car."

Now, bereft of those gifts, she apprehensively contemplates that Christmas day may lose its joy for her children.

The financial strain makes her unable to replace all the presents that were lost.

"I'm on paycheck to paycheck and it's just going to be hard. So, I don't know if I'm going to be able to get those back," McCreight expressed with concern to News 4.

Although grateful for the car's return, Maricela remains perplexed by the events. She asserts that she securely locked the car and mentions having recently undergone an anti-theft software upgrade.

Now, she finds herself anxiously anticipating a Christmas miracle, hoping that somehow the stolen gifts will miraculously reappear under the Christmas tree.