Some Christmas magic has transformed a homely orange safety cone into a Christmas tree and brought the holiday spirit to one Sylvania neighborhood.

Two weeks ago, a streetlight at the edge of Ray “Moose” Trautman and Diane Trautman’s front yard was knocked down. The couple believes that someone backed into it by accident.

Mrs. Trautman called Toledo Edison, which couldn’t promise immediate action. Then Mr. Trautman spoke with the utility company and informed it that there were exposed wires in the stump of the light pole. Upon hearing that, Toledo Edison came right away.

“They came out and covered what was left of the pole with a cone,” Mr. Trautman said. “They told us that they don’t have any of those poles in stock — and that we might have to wait six months or a year before the pole could be replaced.”

“We looked at that cone for a little over a week — and then came back to the house one day and saw that the cone had been decorated with garlands, lights, and a star,” he said.

“We have no idea who did it,” Mrs. Trautman said. 

The Trautmans began to care for their anonymously gifted cone tree, straightening it up when the wind would blow it over.

Then on the morning of Dec. 23, two giftwrapped presents appeared at the base of the cone, which stands at the corner of Pickett Drive and Butternut Court.

Though Mr. and Mrs. Trautman don’t know who created the cone tree, they suspect it was nearby residents.

“We have wonderful neighbors,” Mrs. Trautman said.

Mr. Trautman is a retired builder who built the home he and his wife, a retired medical assistant, have lived in for 26 years. The couple are Toledo natives. Mr. Trautman graduated from St. Francis and Mrs. Trautman from St. Ursula. Both are alumni of the University of Toledo. They are looking forward to spending Christmas with their 12 grandchildren.

Attempts by The Blade to discover who placed the cone tree and the presents at the edge of the Trautman front yard were unavailing. The investigation is continuing, although sources tell The Blade that there are some holiday mysteries that are best left unsolved.

Toledo Edison did not immediately comment.

First Published December 23, 2024, 8:03 p.m.