Christmas might be the most magical time of the year, but between financial pressures, family tensions and snapping up that last must-have item off the shelves, spirits can run a little high (and not just the festive kind). Forget Home Alone and Jingle All The Way; these crimes put even Hollywood’s imagination to shame.
Cannabis Christmas Tree
In December 2010, police involved in a drugs bust in Germany, stumbled across something rather unexpected in one man’s home, uncovering a two metre Christmas tree made entirely from cannabis. Fully decorated with tinsel and lights too, by the way.
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Frosty the Snowman’s police assault
Frosty the Snowman came to life one day in 2011 when a man dressed up in costume and joined the town’s Christmas parade, only to then kick a police dog and assault two officers, hitting them with his snowman head.
The light saber shopper
Most parents will have horror stories of toy shopping at Christmas time. But one man took matters to the next level in a Toys ‘R’ Us in America, when he picked out a light saber and proceeded to beat his fellow shoppers with it, before walking out of the shop with it and doing the same to the waiting police. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Apparently in America, mistletoe hunting is a Christmas tradition. Usually, however, it takes place out in the wild and not right outside a busy shopping centre that’s full of people at the time, as one man from Georgia did when he opened fire at a tree. Hopefully no one was waiting under it at the time.
The snowman stabbing
Luckily, this time it was an inflatable snowman, instead of a man in costume, but one that had inspired the ire of locals often enough. The 12-foot Frosty was the victim of three different stabbings in total, the last by two 18 year olds wielding screwdrivers.
Bad Santa
One man was genuinely arrested for telling children Santa isn’t real, after he got drunk, slicked his hair back into devil horns and crashed a Christmas parade in Ontario, telling the gathered kids the bad news. Onlookers called the police and he was soon arrested and charged.
A word of warning for anyone tempted to peak at their presents: in 2006, a woman in South Carolina had her son arrested for opening his Christmas present early. Apparently, after a string of bad behaviour and acting out, him unwrapping his Gameboy early a few weeks too early was the last straw.
Baby Jesus snatchers
Robbing the baby Jesus toys from nativity scenes seems to be a ‘thing’ in the U.S., with The Catholic League even tracking the different incidents of vandalism to nativity scenes. But one December in Chicago saw 32 of the toys taken from people’s properties, which were then lined up in a woman’s front garden. She duly returned them.
