Return of stolen Christmas wreath sparks new friendship

It's the most wonderful time of the year for a Toronto woman reunited with her Christmas wreath just in time for the holidays.

"It was my little Christmas miracle, I really think it was," Sabrina Magyar told CBC News.

• Christmas wreath thief caught on camera

Magyar published a Facebook video on Dec. 7 that showed a woman stealing a wreath from the front door of her home. The post went viral with more than 300,000 people viewing it online.

In the days that followed, a window cleaner found a plastic bag with a wreath inside.

There's more to the story than you think and that's what I learned from this.- Sabrina Magyar

Magyar said the man was listening to CBC Radio's Ontario Today last Monday when he heard a description of the wreath and brought it to a local news station, where it was reunited with its rightful owner. 

But what happened to the woman who was called a "Grinch" by the victim for taking it in the first place?

"The Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day," Magyar wrote on Facebook. "And then, the true meaning of Christmas came through, and she found the strength to come forward with the support of her family."

'No longer the Grinch to me'

Magyar met with the woman who stole her wreath after a family member came forward with a handwritten note, apologizing for what had happened. That paved the way for the two to meet in person.

"It was wonderful," Magyar said. "I met her family and I met this person and we really connected. It was people brought together who never would've been brought together."

The two conversed and Magyar learned about the woman and her circumstances, which made it easier to forgive her. 

"She was very apologetic and it was very sincere and it was never meant to be ill-intended," she said. "She's no longer the Grinch to me, she's my friend."

As for why the woman took the wreath, Magyar admitted a reason was provided, but did not want to get into specifics. 

Woman 'redeemed herself'

Regardless, Magyar said it was "amazing" how her community came together to find the wreath and then bring the two strangers together under such strange circumstances.

"My happy ending came because of everyone that was involved," she added. "She certainly redeemed herself."

And what advice does Magyar have for someone who may find themselves a victim of a similar incident? 

"There's more to the story than you think and that's what I learned from this," she acknowledged.

"Perhaps Christmas means just that little bit more this year."