A mum was left terrified after finding a complete stranger in her home talking to her two-year-old son at 4am.
Police were called to the house in Hyde, Greater Manchester, England, after the mother woke to find the intruder sitting on the stairs with her toddler.
A woman has now been arrested on suspicion of attempted abduction and remains in custody for questioning.
The unidentified mother took to social media on Boxing Day to share the horrifying tale, using the opportunity to remind other parents to remember to keep the house locked over the Christmas period.
In a post on Facebook, which has since been deleted, she claimed she believed her "little love" would be gone if she hadn't have been "lucky" and woken up.
"4am this morning I woke up to a woman on my stairs with my 2 year old son trying to kidnap him while me and [****] slept in the next room," she wrote. "This is Hyde area. Share to let people know. I’m lucky I woke up or I wouldn’t have my little love. Please everyone be careful Christmas night, make sure all doors and windows are locked (sic)."
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed the incident in a statement, claiming that enquires were ongoing.
"Just after 4am this morning, police attended an address in Hyde as a result of a report of an adult woman being found in the house, with one of the young children who lives in the house," he said. "Police were called and arrived shortly after. An adult woman has been arrested and enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances."
The incident in Hyde isn't the only potential child abduction to occur in the UK over the Christmas period.
Earlier in December, a man was arrested in Edham, Surrey, after allegedly attempting to kidnap a six-year-old schoolgirl from a Christmas fair.
The 47-year-old was accused of trying to grab the young girl on Egham High Street, with reports claiming he was suspected of trying to lure her away with toys and sweets.
Surrey Police released a statement to reassure parents that the child was not physically harmed in the attempted abduction and remind them that incidents of this nature are rare.
A spokesman said: "We would like to reassure parents that, while the man is unknown to the child, the child did not leave the immediate vicinity of their parent, and, although understandably scared, the child was not physically harmed during the incident.
"Officers were on the scene within minutes of it being reported and promptly arrested the man. Incidents of this type are very rare and we would ask for the public to allow us to carry out our work and investigate fully, rather than jumping to conclusions."
