Show Us Your Nativity Set/Creche

I'm sure some folks out there have some really nice nativity sets, maybe old heirlooms, elegant styles, homemade treasures, or something with a regional flavor. I would like to see and I'll bet others would to. And they don't have to be anything fancy. They're all special.

Mine are nothing fancy, but since no one else has created a thread like this that I can see, I'll start.

This was one of those kits that comes with plastic pellets that you put in a metal frame and bake in the oven. I don't know if they still sell those, but they were a big thing about 25 years ago. This one my grandma got as a gift from one of her Sunday school students. She had me make it for her. In later years, she let me have it. Besides the nativity scene shown here, there are also four separate farm animals. You are supposed to put a candle behind it, but I have a string of lights behind it.

These had come as unfinished wood shapes that my aunt had bought. She had three sets and she wanted them painted so she had me do it. I did each set in different colors. I don't recall the details of how it happened, but I ended up with this one.

These are from my mom. I don't remember if they were hers and she gave them to me or if she bought them new and gave them to me.

Great idea for a thread Kelli. This is a nativity that I painted 10 years ago. It is ceramic and came as greenware. I smoothed off all the seams and then had it fired and then painted it. It was a lot of fun and very rewarding. It's one of my favorite Christmas decorations.

Here are some close-ups.

An angel...

another angel and some camels...

This message was edited Dec 17, 2005 12:18 PM

The Wise Men...

and the shepherd boy...

My mom has a nativity set that she made like you did. She must have done it 25 years ago.

Bills mom made this one years ago. It was protected under the bed and all the pieces made it through!!

Back to the top for Christmas 2006

Well, here is our outdoor Nativity, it is painted on wood and made by American Indians and we think it is beautiful.
We bought these one or two pieces a year, sadly the people who made them are no longer in business.
It attracts a lot of attention at night. My husband made the sign that says ( Sing Glory to God ) for me for my birthday and it is one of the best presents I ever received.
Merry Christmas to All of You.
Josephine.

And here are the Angels singing.

We have a few... just a few small sets...

Very neat Mitch, I gather you have been collecting them.

Very nice, Mitch. Can we see some close-ups please? Thanks!

Will do after I get me camera back working right again...

Collecting... ummmmm kinda something about them just calls to us...

DH and kiddos gave this last year for my birthday (12-26). It's made from olive wood from the Middle East.

Wow, that is gorgeous, Kooger!

I agree - I had admired it in Nov and DH remembered and went back to get it. Wasn't that thoughtful of him? :) It was in a shop that was called Ten Thousand Villages but they have a new name now. (which escapes me at the present). It's a program to help women in third world countries get decent prices for their crafts. Eliminates the middle man. Absolutely beautiful stuff in that shop, from around the globe.

Very nice photos everyone !
My parents would always pick one of us to place the Christ Child in the crib before we went to Midnight Mass....it was so cute to watch the little ones do it...they were so reverent...and it always made my mom cry !

They would hide the baby somewhere until the big night...(the figurine, not one of us !!!). One year they forgot where they hid it, and my dad had to make a substitute at the last minute out of a piece of raw potato...(he was good at carving things...) it worked fine, but the next morning, ...well....let's just say, it aroused suspicion as to the "heritage" of the child, compared to all the other figures in the "cast of thousands" !!!

We found the baby a few days later....and not a minute too soon...!!!

Very thoughtful of your DH! :o)

We have a tradition in which Mary and Joseph "travel" around the house on their way to Bethlehem and the stable. Everyday the kids get up and find out where they have moved to. They arrive at the stable on Christmas Eve morning and then I put baby Jesus in there after they kids go to bed that night. They wake up to find him in the manger. Then we start over again with the Wise Men traveling through the house. They look forward to it every year.

Great Nativities and traditions!Thanks for sharing. I'll have to get a pic of mine.

This message was edited Dec 26, 2006 7:28 PM

I'll start with my greatest treasure - Me Mither made this cornshuck Nativity for me in 1981. I tear up with joy every year when I set it up. The really neat thing is that the stable folds up into a box, the roof is the box lid, and all the figures fit inside for storage. So, after 25 years of beung brought out for a month or so every year and stored away the rest of the time, everything is just as it was all those years ago.

Very lovely Tgif and so very special.
Josephine.

This one I made 3 years ago from some cedar wood salvaged from a bad wind storm that took down a bunch of very large, old cedars on my farm. I used several different machines to do these and had an absolute ball! I plan on doing some more with some improvements in the finished product.

This first picture is the "storage" stage of the puzzle. I'll post the set up next.

This is the puzzle on display - its may be a little dark, but the flash makes it worse. I'll try another shot if this one isn't clear enough.
ginni

This is an ornament I made from the same cedar. This one is 3x4 inches.

I love these! What treasures you all have!
K~

Thanks - I love them all-

This is one I bought several years ago - I hope to be able to make some similar to it.

I have so many, but I don't think I could ever have *too* many!

This is a back lit night view- I am going to try some other versions of this to make it more effective.

This once belonged to my grandfather.
It's a very chintzy, cheap plastic one that he bought for 25 cents in the 40's.
To me - it's priceless!

Nancy

P.S. I always get a kick out of how the shepherd is dressed. No flowing robe here. The guy's dressed in pants, shirt & boots - like he was out hiking! LOL!

This message was edited Dec 23, 2006 5:19 PM

Wish I had a photo ready, but don't. I cherish my set as my MIL did the petit point work on the front of the figures. I cut them out, sewed them together and stuffed them. Will try to get a photo in a day or so. I hope to pass them down thru generations.
Debra

i am just now catching up on some of these threads. those natvity scenes are just great. thanks for sharing them. i have a set tht is about 15 or 20 years old. i didn't get a chance to put it up this year. will get it next year.

gabagoo lol I love yours...he does look like he's about to take on the alps doesn't he?

I finally took some pics of our Nativity. I didn't even get it up until about 3:30 am on the 25th. As you can see the stable is not there. I couldn't go to bed until I had it put up, it was making me crazy. Since I put it in the cabinet, it may stay there. You can't see the cow, donkey or the lying down camel, but most you can see. There are 25 pieces, Lenox.

sorry for the backflash in the mirror. Without flash they looked yellow.

Very beautiful fine porcelain.
Josephine.