The Crazy People of Christmas

As we progress through the Christmas season, you would think that people would treat each other a little nicer. But whether it's due to the economy or perhaps the added stress of finding the perfect gift, some people just seem to be unreachable for the Christmas Spirit. Here are just a few of the more bizarre happenings that I found while scanning the headline this morning:

• Two men were arrested in New York after they were found following a UPS truck and stealing the packages after the driver dropped them off.
• An 800-pound decorated elk statue was stolen off of the roof of an Elk's Lodge in New Jersey. It is assumed that thieves stole the metal elk in order to cash it in at a recycling center. The estimated recycling value? $200.
• Baby Jesus and a wooden donkey were stolen from the city's nativity scene in Frostproof, Florida. (I'm actually more surprised that, in today's world of political correctness, a nativity scene could still be displayed by any city)
• Thousands of dollars of gifts for the needy were stolen from a church near Boston
• In Loris, South Carolina, three thugs robbed a family at gunpoint while they were in the middle of decorating their Christmas tree
• A thief in Pittsburgh broke into a liquor store. His bounty? Two bottles of egg nog.
• A woman in South Carolina was murdered by her "friend" and buried under a pile of Christmas presents in her home.
• A Georgia man was arrested for shooting at a sprig of mistletoe outside of a shopping mall.
• A woman at a Christmas craft fair (I'm not sure of the exact location) was caught stealing an ornament from one of the vendors. When confronted, the thief stabbed the vendor with the ornament.
• An Ohio man, who was presumably high on bath salts, broke into a home and put up Christmas decorations. I'm not sure if you arrest him or offer him a beer!
• At a Christmas parade in my home state of Maryland, a man dressed as Frosty The Snowman was arrested after assaulting a police officer and kicking a police dog. I guess there was something other than magic in that old corn-cob pipe!

As we get closer to the actual Christmas holiday, I'm sure there will be plenty of other knuckleheads making the news for these kinds of things. Obviously, not everyone believes in that whole "season of giving" thing....

kw