The “Christmas Hoodlums” Really Bother Me

I like Christmas lights.  It’s one of my favorite things during the holidays to drive down the road and see a glow off in the distance, and know that I’m about to be in for a treat.  I love neighborhoods that go all out.  It’s one of my fantasies after winning the lottery to transform my neighborhood into a Winter Wonderland.

And I recognize that unprotected property sitting in your front yard is often asking for trouble.  You simply shouldn’t leave your bike out lying in the driveway, no matter how safe a neighborhood you live in.  But…  Christmas lights should be above that, right?  Christmas decorations, for lack of a better word, are sacred, aren’t they?

Apparently not in Salem.  There are a group of kids who have hit a number of houses in Salem and wrecked their decorations, and in some cases stealing them.  Here’s some video that was captured:

And this bugs me more than other acts of vandalism.  I’m no fan of graffiti, but I kinda get it.  I see what the value is.  It’s artistic, and it’s expression, and it can mark your turf, blah, blah, blah.  I don’t condone it, and I wish people would stop with it, but I at least understand it.  But this?  Wrecking Christmas Lights?  That’s just sinister.  It’s evil.  And I don’t understand the impetus.  I know they’re just kids, and kids defy logic sometimes, but they’re also humans with feelings.

Surely they’re just not thinking of the kids who will be disappointed by this, right?  Surely they’re not concerned with the consequences, right?  They’re just kids, looking for a thrill, right?

I have to believe that.

~Jake from 98.7 The Bull