Nativity scene in my house!

[Thor]

Every Christmas my wife sets up a nativity scene in our living room. She's not really a believer, she just sets it up because her father set one up every year and she considers it sort of a family tradition. But it bugs the hell out of me. As far as I'm concerned, it only promotes mythology and it gives the impression to anyone entering our house that I believe this bullshit.

In order to make light of the thing, I place silly figures in the scene. I'll use plastic baseball players, GI Joes, whatever I can find. I always replace the "baby Jesus" with a sliding baseball figure. This especially perturbs my wife's brother and his wife. They've commented on it being "sacriligious". But what really frosts me is when they take it upon themselves to remove the figures I have put in the display. One year I even found all my figures in a wastebasket! I must add that they have their own nativity display at their house and I wouldn't think to mess around with it. So how do they think they have a right to touch things in our display? Because they find it offensive? Too damn bad!

How would you feel if someone came over your house and decided to alter something you had on display? Any suggestions as to what I should do when they surely come over and remove my baseball figures yet again?

[DeistPaladin]

Coming over to someone else's house and altering what they have on display is illegal but the fact that it's your brother makes things complicated. Have you spoken with him about this? Does he deny he's the one who did it?

On a related note, I remember how my agnostic parents used to put a small (doll house sized) decorative display of the nativity scene as part of the Christmas decorating in the house. In retrospect, this seemed really curious to me. I kind of want to speak with the dead and ask them what they were thinking as they go through this ritual every year. Most likely, they would shrug and say it was just another Christmas decoration they never thought about (I never did). Ingrained habits are hard to break, even when you don't believe in their foundations anymore.

[theVOID]

I would be fucking furious, potentially vengeful, like wanting to rearrange his paintings and photos with depictions of sliding baseball players

Suggestion: Cover the figurines in a bit of adhesive and some habanero pepper juice, make sure they stick around for a while and make sure it's later in the evening - Eventually at least one of them will rub their eyes From this point on just crack a beer open, sit back and enjoy.

@DP it was his Brother-in-law, So not that much of a problem.

[Thor]

Coming over to someone else's house and altering what they have on display is illegal but the fact that it's your brother makes things complicated. Have you spoken with him about this? Does he deny he's the one who did it?

I have stood there and watched him take the figures out of the scene (he's my wife's brother, BTW). But his wife is the main perpetrator. She'll immediately walk over and start plucking my baseball figures out of the display. And it especially steams me when she encourages her kids to remove the figures! On several occasions she has stood there with one of her kids and said, "Now what doesn't belong?", and when the kid points out a baseball figure she'll say "That's right. Now take it out." (Great lesson! Teach your kid it's okay to touch other people's stuff!) I'd love to spit out "What the fuck do you think you're doing?", but that wouldn't go over well for family harmony. But seriously, what the hell does she think gives her the right to alter something that's set up in someone else's house? I can only imagine HER reaction if I went to their house and took things out of their nativity display!

A couple of years ago they were taking the figures out of the display and I exclaimed, "What are you doing?". My wife's mother then snapped, "Those things don't belong in there!". I really had to resist the urge to jump down her throat. I didn't think it would be prudent to start a family fight at a holiday gathering. But it rankles the hell out of me that I should have to bite my tongue when THEY'RE the ones behaving like assholes.

---

I would be fucking furious, potentially vengeful, like wanting to rearrange his paintings and photos with depictions of sliding baseball players

Suggestion: Cover the figurines in a bit of adhesive and some habanero pepper juice, make sure they stick around for a while and make sure it's later in the evening - Eventually at least one of them will rub their eyes From this point on just crack a beer open, sit back and enjoy.

Not a bad idea! If I can get ahold of some pepper spray, I could saturate the figures with it. Then when they touched the figures and eventually touch their fingers to their eyes or mouth, they'd get a nice burning sensation! I suppose I could also just cover the figures in some disgusting glop. Either way... it could be fun!

[Minimalist]

I have an idea.

Instead of replacing jebus with a sliding baseball player replace it with a piece of dog shit.

I'll bet they don't touch that!

[theVOID]

At least your pain makes for an amusing thread

You could put a sign called "Fantasy lane" above it and make it part of the actual structure, perhaps they will remove the religious figures instead - This way you win.

[Thor]

I have an idea.

Instead of replacing jebus with a sliding baseball player replace it with a piece of dog shit.

I'll bet they don't touch that!

---

At least your pain makes for an amusing thread

You could put a sign called "Fantasy lane" above it and make it part of the actual structure, perhaps they will remove the religious figures instead - This way you win.

A couple years ago I wrote up a disclaimer and posted it above the display. It read something like, "This display is offered for purposes of tradition and decoration, not in the belief that this depicts a factual event". My wife refused to let me put it out when her family came over. But I did put it up when a couple we are friends with dropped by (they are both atheists). They got a good laugh out of it.

Unfortunately, my wife is too sensitive to the beliefs of her family. She even objected when I once left my copy of "Godless" on the coffee table when her brother's mob was coming over. She squawked, "You know they don't believe in that!".

Hmmmm.... so they don't believe in not believing....

But on the flip side I can go over to their house and have to look at Bibles and religious shit everywhere.

[theVOID]

Pain baby Jesus like a Zombie?

[Thor]

Pain baby Jesus like a Zombie?

I'd love to! Problem is, the nativity figures are family heirlooms. My wife would kill me! But maybe I can find a cheap baby Jesus figurine somewhere....

[ldarwin]

LOL! I'm so going to create my own nativity scene now.

My family always had one up too, complete with all the barn animals. As a kid I liked to place baby Jesus on the roof of the stable, and have Mary and Joseph looking down lovingly at the sleeping donkey. Perhaps it was a bit of foreshadowing...