Gfrktyl

I came up with this riddle over the holidays but since my family doesn't speak English, you get to be the audience. Exciting!

You had a thing precious you worked so hard to make

I worked even harder to that treasure break.

Yet no one would yell at me, no one would leer,

my punishment was only applause and cheer.

And from the remains of that which I maimed

a thing much similar (but better!) I claimed.

What exactly could I be talking about?

Is it a

world record

Explanation:

You had a thing precious you worked so hard to make

Worked hard to set a new record

I worked even harder to that treasure break.

To break a record you have to do even better than the last person

Yet no one would yell at me, no one would leer,

my punishment was only applause and cheer.

Cheering for the record breaker

And from the remains of that which I maimed

a thing much similar (but better!) I claimed.

Made a new world record, almost the same as the broken one, but better

Is it a

piñata?

It does

take hard work to make and can be associated with Christmas. But its end is a violent one, the culmination of which could elicit cheers and could also release stuff even more prized than the container that until that point had been the focus of attention.

@S. M. was thinking along very similar lines, but maybe

the language spoken by your family is also a clue.

I think it's

a gift/wrapping paper

You had a thing precious you worked so hard to make

You worked hard to wrap the present

I worked even harder to that treasure break.

Worked even harder to tear apart the wrapping

Yet no one would yell at me, no one would leer,

my punishment was only applause and cheer.

People cheered as you opened your present.

And from the remains of that which I maimed
a thing much similar (but better!) I claimed.

After tearing away the wrapping, you got to your actual gift.

This would also make sense considering

You came up with it during the holidays, so maybe while you/someone opened a christmas gift. Also makes sense since you mention vandalism in the title.

I think the answer could also be

A diamond

Because:

You had a thing precious you worked so hard to make

Diamonds are formed under extreme conditions in nature, over a long period of time.

I worked even harder to that treasure break.

Since diamonds are such hard materials, breaking them (and specifically cutting them meticulously) is a very difficult and arduous task.

Yet no one would yell at me, no one would leer,

my punishment was only applause and cheer.

And from the remains of that which I maimed

a thing much similar (but better!) I claimed.

Cutting diamonds is a praiseworthy form of art, and a well-cut diamond can appreciate greatly in value.

I thought it might be

growing the wheat, and then milling it into a flour, and then making a bread out of it.

However, the "applause and cheer" part fits the accepted answer much better, than, say

"harvest-time celebrations"