Sophia Bush is feeling a little less festive this holiday season after an early morning burglary at her Los Angeles home ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the incident occurred last week when an intruder accessed the garage at Sophia's residence -- grabbing just one item before taking off.

In a scene straight out of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," cops say the thief only made off with a $36 book ... but, we're told it was a holiday present Sophia planned to give out. Bah humbug!

We're told an employee came by Sophia's property later that morning, saw the garage open, reviewed the security tape and saw someone get in. Cops were called and reviewed the footage.

The LAPD took a burglary report and has the footage ... so far, no arrests have been made yet.

Our sources say Sophia -- who recently started dating former soccer star Ashlyn Harris -- was home during the theft, but slept through the break-in.

Sophia is the latest celebrity to be added to a long growing list of celebrities who've been hit by thieves over the last several months.