Scarborough family’s beloved Christmas display destroyed by masked vandals

A Scarborough dad says a beloved decade-long family tradition that’s filled his Guildwood neighbourhood with joy has been reduced to a Christmas crime scene after masked vandals destroyed more than a dozen inflatables that adorned his front yard.

The attack happened early Sunday morning, just hours after Scot Patriquin put the finishing touches on this year’s impressive Christmas display.

The 2025 version even featured outdoor speakers playing music that synced up with the elaborate lights he strung up across the yard.

“Before we knew it we heard the inflatables being popped one after another and then we got to the door and we actually heard someone just on the other side of the door destroying one of the inflatables that we had hanging on the roof over there,” Patriquin told CityNews. “They were tearing it off the roof and destroying it with a hammer, obviously that was very scary.”

Footage captured on the family’s doorbell camera captured two suspects approaching the front yard. One of them appears to be wielding a hammer that he uses to swat and slash the inflatables until one-by-one they sagged into the snow.

When the carnage was complete, the likes of Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty the Snowman were deflated and sadly sprawled out in the yard.

Toronto police are investigating, but haven’t released any suspect details at this point.

“For someone to do something like that, to take something so happy and joyful and something to be proud of, that the neighbourhood can be proud of and all come together, and instead be standing here in front of something that’s a monument of trauma, I can’t even fathom it,” he said.

The Scarborough dad’s display was a source of pride for his neighbourhood — bringing families some extra festive cheer.

It was also a lot of work, but Patriquin maintains he enjoyed every second of it.

“It’s probably about 25 to 30 hours of setup every year, then obviously taking it down and putting it away and adding new things to it, but it’s never felt like work. It’s fun. I really enjoy it and it’s worth it for the reactions you get and the enjoyment people get out of it.”

Neighbours like Sarah Carlson said the vandalism frightened her children.

“My son was really upset, he was very dramatic and said they were killed and he was very sad, he had trouble sleeping that night,” she added. “And my daughters they’re the ones who were obsessed with the lights and coming by to check it literally every night so it’s been sad at our house.”

Patriquin, meanwhile, says he’s not sure if he’ll try and replace the display before Christmas.

Despite the bad vibes from the senseless vandalism, he says he’s received an outpouring of support that’s helped keep the Christmas spirit intact.

“If they were trying to take away Christmas, from what I’ve seen from the community and everyone sharing, they failed miserably.”