A southern Indiana man has gotten an early Christmas gift: A 16-foot-tall inflatable Santa Claus stolen from his yard has been returned with $100 and a note of apology.

Jason McClaren said that someone returned the deflated Santa to his Unionville yard early Saturday in a trash bag that also contained the money and note.

He says the anonymous note makes it clear that the person who
returned the Santa wasn't the thief who took it and two 6-foot tall
penguins this past week. The penguin decorations are still missing.

The typed note states: "Returning your property is the right
thing to do, and apologies for the thief who took it in the first
place."

McClaren says he plans to use the $100 to buy more decorations.