FARGO — If you’re looking for baby Jesus this Christmas season, the star above Bethlehem probably won’t be much help.

A better bet: Ask a sales associate.

Because of frequent thefts, local stores selling Nativity sets have taken to keeping the newborn king behind glass or in storerooms, out of reach of shoplifters – delinquents who surely have a rich sense of irony.

“They like to steal baby Jesus,” said Susan Hendershott, manager of Lee’s Hallmark in Fargo. “That will catch up with you someday.”

A lot of Joseph figurines are stolen, too, but baby Jesus is the most popular target of thieves, Hendershott said.

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“I don’t even put all my Nativities on display anymore,” she said. “We’ve had to lock them up.”

At Scheels Home & Hardware on 13th Avenue South, the earthly father and virgin mother — a holy family set for $74.99 — sit on a shelf adoringly hovering over a small sign that says, “PLEASE ASK FOR BABY JESUS.”

For several years, the store has kept its baby Jesus statuettes off the retail floor because of experiences with shoplifters.

“Nothing biblically driven, it was all security driven,” assistant manager Sherry Senske said of the decision to sequester the young Jesus. “Nobody wants to buy a Nativity scene without all the pieces to it, especially the baby Jesus.”

Not every store in the Fargo area has this problem. Menards, Home Depot and Lowe’s all report having no issues with anyone taking baby Jesus figurines.

“We’ve never had any trouble as far as thefts or pranks being pulled with baby Jesus,” said Emily Fischbach, a garden sales associate at Home Depot. “We’re pretty vigilant.”

Hurley’s Religious Goods, which may have North Dakota’s largest selection of Nativities, boasts 40 styles ranging in price from $20 to $5,000. “You usually sell the holy family and the stable, and people can add on to them,” said store owner Jeaninne McAllister.

The Hurley’s in Fargo hasn’t suffered any baby Jesus thefts, so the little ones still enjoy the open air of the showroom. But at the Sioux Falls, S.D., store, thievery has prompted a change in policy, she said.

“We don’t put the baby in the set anymore in Sioux Falls,” said McAllister, who was at a loss to explain why someone would swipe the swaddled son of God.

“I don’t have time to sit down and figure out why they would do that,” she said. “You’re never going to figure it out.”

Baby Jesus theft, of course, is nothing new. It’s a longstanding prank that continues to plague churches with holiday crèches. Some churches have even gone so far as to plant GPS tracking devices in their baby Jesus figurines to catch thieves.

Lt. Joel Vettel, a Fargo police spokesman, said he’s heard of Nativity scenes being vandalized here in the past. But he couldn’t recall any reports of anyone shoplifting baby Jesus.

“I don’t know if there’s a special spot in hell for you if you steal a baby Jesus,” he said. “Is that kidnapping?”