“Away in a Manger” could have been the Christmas theme song at Betty Searcy’s house this year.
Searcy loves to decorate for Christmas. It’s one of her favorite times of the year. So, when a friend asked to bring her children over to see Betty’s Thomas Kinkade outdoor nativity set, she didn’t mind at all. Even weeks after Christmas, her home is still sporting its holiday décor, but her guests noticed that there was one key piece missing from Searcy’s manger—baby Jesus.
“I have a spotlight set on a timer,” she said. “So, whoever took the baby Jesus must have really had nerve to come up in the middle of the spotlight and steal it.”
The theft appears to have been part of a prank, but she doesn’t find it amusing. Putting the decorations out this year was a chore for Betty, who is recently widowed. The loss of such an important piece of her favorite nativity scene is very disheartening.
Searcy has always taken her Christmas decorations seriously. In fact, when she and her husband designed their house on Cypress Cove three years ago, Betty was sure to include a special storage room just for her Christmas decorations.
“I don’t like to store them out in a place where the humidity or weather might get to them,” she said. “I’d rather keep them in an area with controlled climate.”
Searcy doesn’t have much hope that the original will be returned.
“If it was returned, there would be no questions asked,” she said. “I didn’t call the police because I knew it would really be a wild goose hunt for them, and I’m not looking to prosecute anyone. I would just appreciate it if it was returned.”
“Sometimes we just don’t think of how pranks can affect people,” she continued. “What might seem funny at the time can have a negative reaction in someone else.”
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