Christians Stealing Christmas?

[Townhallsavoy]

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/12/police_recount_how_the_samford.html

Police recount how the Samford students stole Christmas
Every Who down in Kim­berly -- and Warrior and Ves­tavia too -- liked Christmas a lot.

But the Grinches, who lived in two fraternity houses at Samford University, did not.

Did they hate Christmas? The whole Christmas season?

No, police say, that's prob­ably not the reason.

It wasn't that their heads weren't screwed on right, and likely not that their shoes were too tight.

It's even doubtful that their hearts were two sizes too small.

No, police say, that wasn't it at all.

It's just that boys will be boys, after all.

"It was a prank that got out of hand," said Kimberly Police Sgt. Steve Bailey. "I know they're adults, but they're young adults. When I was 18, I didn't know I was an adult."

Up to 20 members of two fraternities at Samford Uni­versity face school discipli­nary action after lawn decora­tions from across at least three Jefferson County com­munities disappeared in the days after Thanksgiving.

Kimberly police on patrol stopped 10 students on Dec. 2. Stolen decorations from Kimberly and Warrior were recovered, and police turned the matter over to Samford officials.

"The victims didn't want to ruin (the students) lives over a few dollars of Christmas decorations," Bailey said. "I'm not going to say they were happy about it, and I'm sure there were some traumatized kids, but they knew it was just a prank."

Vestavia Hills police faced a similar problem when decorations disappeared in several neighborhoods there.

Samford officials launched an investigation and found trains, trees and inflatable Christmas characters adorning the frat house lobbies.

"Apparently there was some kind of competition and evidently they couldn't go out and buy it," said Vestavia Hills Sgt. Chuck Nagle. "They had to steal it."

Samford officials aren't taking the prank lightly.

"Unfortunately, it was very poor decisions these students made," said Renie Moss, assistant dean for Campus Life. "Certainly it was not in keeping with the values of Samford University at all."

The students were made to go door-to-door to apologize and return the items. If the decorations were damaged, they had to make restitution on the spot, Moss said.

The students, whose fraternities Samford wouldn't identify, still face problems at school.

"They are in trouble," Moss said, "and we have our judicial procedures that will be enacted."

So, with the decorations returned to both the tall and the small, it appeared Christmas and its yard art could go on after all.

Somehow or other, it came just in time.

"Hopefully, our train will be back," one victim maintained.

This time, though, "it will be chained."

Join the conversation, add a comment or e-mail: crobinson@bhamnews.com

I really hate how this article starts off cutesy as if it's a simple Christmas time event.  I thought the pranks were pretty morbid...especially considering where they were stealing the Christmas decorations. 

[AU_Tiger_2000]

My senior year of high school I was hanging out in the DQ parking lot watching the light change from green to red and back again (lot's to do in Thomasville).  All of a sudden a big inflatable Frosty come running by with two little skinny legs sticking out of the bottom of it.  Following it came a truck with some candy canes.  Two of my liquored up buddies had ripped off the decorations from the beauty salon.  The next morning the cops come banging on one of the guys doors, he tried to deny until they told him to look outside.  Sure enough, there's his truck with Frosty and the candy canes riding in the bed.  Since he had been 18 for about a week at that point he got a nice overnight trip to county. 

Boy, the way Glen Miller played,
Songs that made the hit parade,
Guys like us, we had it made,
Those were the days!

[wesfau2]

Boy, the way Glen Miller played,
Songs that made the hit parade,
Guys like us, we had it made,
Those were the days!

I prefer the Homer and Marge version:

Disco Duck and Fleetwood Mac
Coming out of my 8 track
Michael Jackson still was black...
Those were the days.