Trendwatch: Thieves Taking the Christ Out of Christmas. Literally.

http://religiondispatches.org/trendwatch-thieves-taking-the-christ-out-of-christmas-literally/

BY DANIEL SILLIMAN DECEMBER 8, 2014

The war on Christmas, it’s been well documented, is not a real thing.

Though there are disputes about whether or not it’s rude to say “Merry Christmas” to the less than 10 percent of Americans who don’t celebrate the holiday, and debates on how celebrating Christmas officially in public schools and public squares might violate the religious disestablishment set up by the First Amendment, Christmas is not under attack. Christmas is a cultural colossus. Consumerism is sanctified for Christmas in America, the sacral is consumed, and it’s a cultural event of such enormity that resistance is futile. A real war on Christmas would be impossible.

And yet, there are raids on Christmas. There are sneak attacks on Christmas. There are those who, stealthily, creeping past the watchful eyes, guards and surveillance cameras (and all the rest of the Christmas defense apparatus), strike a blow against the holiday.

These are known as baby Jesus thieves.

In North Dakota, baby Jesus thieves have gotten so bold that some hardware stores selling nativity sets have taken to keeping the Christ child behind the counter. As Archie Intersoll reports for the Pioneer Press: “At Scheels Home & Hardware in Fargo, the earthly father and virgin mother — a holy family set for $74.99 — sit on a shelf adoringly hovering over a small sign that says, ‘PLEASE ASK FOR BABY JESUS.’ For several years, the store has kept its baby Jesus statuettes off the retail floor because of experiences with shoplifters.”

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