Christmas is traditionally a time of joy, merriment and peace on Earth. Not so in the little town of Erbach, Germany, this year, where depraved individuals destroyed a living nativity scene, tortured two donkeys, vandalised and looted the Christmas market, and proceeded to smash up and defecate in a nearby Protestant church. Tidings of comfort indeed. 

No luck in central Brussels, either, where the head of a baby Jesus was removed and stolen from a nativity scene. Another Jesus met a similar fate in Amiens, France. The plexiglass was smashed, the infant’s head knocked off, and other nativity figures damaged. The perplexed president of the neighbourhood committee informed a radio station that ‘the nativity scene has existed for about 30 years and nothing like this has ever happened.’

Such wanton destruction is not only directed at displays – a symbolic assault on the Christian story itself – and the occasional hapless donkey. Densely packed Christmas markets, one of the most visible representations of Christianity and western holiday culture there is, have become targets for carnage. In the wake of several high-profile attacks and foiled attempts at violence, police patrols, tight security measures and physical barriers have become ubiquitous around festival stalls. Citizens are........

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