Hello dear friends! I am honored that you have chosen to spend a little time with me. As many of you know, I am a collector to a fault. Included in my collections are nativities. According to Wikipedia, in the Christianity tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, or creche) is the special exhibition of art objects, particularly during the Christmas season, representing the birth of Jesus. My first collected manger scenes were made of ceramic, created by the loving hands of my precious mother. Many years later, Renaissance Man surprised me with a Hummel nativity that I dearly love and it is always the first Christmas decoration that is unpacked. My only niece gifted me a lovely hand-carved creche from South Africa, and a nephew brought one made of corn shucks from Uganda. As you can see, my collection is diverse. About fifteen years ago I was shopping in a nearby city when I spotted it …a large and lovely nativity that I knew immediately had to come home with me.
So many of you have asked about this beautiful nativity that found a home on our hearth. Each Christmas I receive emails and comments asking where I bought it and is it still available. The shop went out of business several years ago and I have never discovered another one in any of my travels. I had planned to move it to another spot, but I listened to you, our readers who said it had to stay on the hearth. So here it is once again, but let’s take a closer look!
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.”
“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.”
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:4-7
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!””
Luke 2:8-14
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.””
Matthew 2:1-2
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
Matthew 2:10
“And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
Matthew 2:11 ESV
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
This wise man measures twenty eight inches in height. Not only are they large, but they are very heavy. They have a life-like appearance and depict the birth of Christ in a beautiful way. Manger scenes are a great teaching tool to share the birth of Jesus with children…Ella Mae loves to touch each piece and ask questions. You are never too young or old to hear the greatest story ever told!
There would be no Christmas without the birth of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your faithful visits and gracious comments! May the story of Christmas be born anew in our hearts!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace, Calypso in the Country
My dear friends, I cannot help congratulating you for such a portentous Birth of Jesus. I think, and I’m not mistaken because I have a very good memory, which is the most beautiful Bethlehem I’ve ever seen. The delicacy of the expressions of the Child, the beauty of each piece, the taste in colors and costumes … I can only tell you that it is a true work of art.
In Spain it is essential to put a Birth at home … well, in the homes of believers, unfortunately Spain is no longer what it was … I say this with almost tears in my eyes.
Thank you for showing such beauty, thanks for being as you are …
Dolores
Querida Dolores, es tan triste que tu país y el mío ya no sean lo que fueron. Pero, Dios no ha cambiado y nunca lo hará. Estoy muy agradecido de que mi esperanza esté en Él. ¿Visitarás a tus hijos en Navidad? Le deseo a mi amigo una feliz temporada navideña.
Abrazos,
Pam
Thank you for sharing. Beautiful!
It is a pleasure and thank you Gail!
Thank you Gail!
Pam, Your beautiful nativity and figures are perfectly scaled for your hearth. Such gorgeous details in the painting from the folds in the fabric to the expression on their faces. Thank you for sharing your beautiful nativity set and the reason for the season. Happy Thursday ♥
Thank you dear Mary. Have a wonderful day!
What a beautiful post! And, what a lovely nativity set! The detail is just amazing. I so enjoyed reading the old, old story again this morning and thought of how much effort it took for you to type it all out. Your labors are not in vain in the Lord, and you and your blog are such a blessing! I hope you have a wonderful day, sweet friend. 🙂
Thank you Cheryl for all of your encouragement. You truly are a blessing!
Beautiful to read. People always ask me why I leave my Nativity set up all year. I respond, Jesus is with us all the time. Not just Christmas!
Amen and thank you Pamela!
Dear Pam, this may be my all time favorite post. The nativity is so beautiful and the way in which you presented the lovely story only adds to the beauty of the nativity and makes the post extraordinarily special.
Many blessings to you, my friend.🎄❤
Thank you Sandra. You are a special blessing. Wishing you and Michael a beautiful Thursday!
Beautiful- the scripture and the figures! Thank you for sharing.
It is a pleasure and thank you Connie!
Dear Pam, I believe this is one of the most beautiful nativity scenes ever. Some of your followers made some observations that I would duplicate like the folds in the clothing, the expressions, your words from scripture that tells this story of our Savior’s birth. I just recently learned that their journey was 90 miles. It makes my heart soar when I think about their courage and their obedience to God. Jesus is with us on every Journey just as He was with Mary and Joseph. May God continue to bless you and this blog.
Thank you Dianne. Yes, Jesus does walk with us on our life’s journey and how could we make it without Him?! Have a wonderfully blessed day my friend!
Pam, that is exquisite, and I love the way you showed the pieces along with the story of Our Savior’s birth. I have several small nativity sets but my sister has a large one like yours, a gift from our dear mother. Apparently there was a kitty in the stable too because her sweet Oliver sleeps among the pieces for the entire time of Advent!
Roxanne, how sweet that Oliver sleeps among the the pieces. Thank you sweet friend and have a wonderful Thursday!
My favorite post of this year; your Nativity is gorgeous! Merry Christmas to you and your family! Thank you for every inspirational post you have done this past year.
Thank you so much Debbie for your sweet comments and encouragement!
Beautiful post, sweet friend! I’m so happy that you shared your nativity with us. It always looks so pretty placed upon your hearth. Thanks for sharing the Christmas story with us this morning. It is one I never tire of reading or hearing. Merry Christmas my dear friend!!!
Thank you Shannon, you are a blessing!
I, too, am crazy for nativities and have quite a collection all sizes. What you show is a real beauty and tells the story we love tohea
Thank you Linda! I know your nativities are beautiful.
That is a beautiful nativity! They are quite perfectly scaled to set on your hearth. Sounds like you have a lovely collection of nativities. A beautiful reminder of what the season is all about!
Thank you Liz. Wishing you the most joyous Christmas season!
Oh Pam it’s absolutely gorgeous! And placing them at the hearth is the most beautiful place for it. And what a beautiful reminder of The Reason for the Season!
Beautiful photography!
Thank you Nancy, you are a blessing!
And you as well my friend… ☺️
Beautiful nativity, but even more beautiful the lovely truth in the Scriptures! What a wonderful ministry you have Pam! Merry, merry Christmas!
Thank you Yvonda. God said His Word would never return void, and I believe that! Wishing you a most joyous Christmas season!
I’ve always admired this nativity and this is so beautiful. Love the wonderful close ups. The faces are particularly beautiful on this set. There was no cutting corners with the details, was there? it’s just stunning. I have a few too, but none so glorious as this (though all glorious in their own small way.)
Thank you Jeanie. Yes, a nativity is always glorious!
What a beautiful nativity! I have never seen one that size. It is stunning.
Thank you Penny!
Your nativity is so stunning…I enjoyed seeing all the close up details…just beautiful! The best part is the enjoyment Ella Mae gets from it all and what a wonderful way to teach her about the real meaning of Christmas.
Jenna
Thank you Jenna, it is a great teaching tool!
Pam, Your nativity is so beautiful! We’ve never seen one as colorful and elegant as yours. Nativity scenes are a wonderful way to spread Jesus’ eternal message. It’s so lovely on your hearth. We know it’s a little more challenging with Princess EK crawling/walking. I can see little hands wanting to touch and explore. My Mom had several we added to our collection which we display in various rooms during the Christmas season. We keep a couple of them in a small curio cabinet so we can enjoy them all year long. We don’t have one nearly as pretty as yours but we certainly enjoy seeing yours during the holidays. Thank you for sharing sweet Pam! Clara ❤️
Thanks so much Clara. It is more challenging this year. What a treasure to have some of your mom’s collection!
I’m the grateful owner of the bits and pieces remaining from my grandmother’s nativity set. It doesn’t make an appearance every year, but just knowing it’s safe and sound makes me smile …
What a treasure to have some bits and pieces from your grandmother!
Truly gorgeous!! Your beautiful nativity scene brings such authenticity of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was real and it happened!! Thank you for sharing the Bible verses too that breathe life into all of us during this Christmas Season❤️
I have a wooden nativity set, in which my grands can play with, although they all are older. The questions that they ask, so make me ponder too of how it was back in olden times. Such good conversations😍
Thanks so much Penny. Great conversations with the young and the older!
Your nativity is beautiful! The details are amazing! 🙂
Thank you Michelle!
Amazing and unique! Blessings,dear Pam!
Thank you Maristella!❤️
Pam, I love reading your posts. Your photos are beautiful and your words are lovely. Our decorating styles are different but your love of faith, family, and home always inspire me.
Thank you Stacy, you are a blessing!
Pam, Your photos of your exquisite nativity and the accompanying scripture message brought tears to my eyes. The story of our Lord and Saviour will always be alive to believers and will fill our hearts always, not just at Christmas. I passed along your post to my family and prayer group at church. Thank you for your faith and witness to all. In Christian Love and Friendship, Allison
Oh, come let us adore Him! I hadn’t seen your big nativity before now and each piece is beautiful, Pam!!! What a gift and treasure…
Thank you for sharing them and telling the story of Jesus’ birth again. I needed this. <3
Happy Christmas hugs,
Barb 🙂
Pam, you could use any of those photos to make and even sell your own Christmas cards
Cath
As ever, this nativity set is beyond inspiring. The facial expressions, the delicacy of the molded garments and the way the set seems to be custom-made for your hearth have created them as a
tradition in your lovely home to be re-discovered each Christmastide. The photos so beautifully
capture the moment. Thank you for bringing Christmas into our hearts.
I love sharing and thank you Mary!
Thank you for showing us your beautiful Nativity, and for keeping Jesus alive in today’s secular world. It is very refreshing to see. My own favorite Nativity is a beautiful rather large antique set. One other that I bought in Sardinia is the most unusual one I’ve ever seen. It is about ten inches high and the figures are in a grotto that is flat on the bottom and in somewhat of a round shape of a “shell” that is pointed at the top. There are angels on the pointed top and a star above them. It has a woman in a long dress going to the crèche with a tray of apples carried on her head. It is all made by hand in one piece of whitish clay with all the figures attached to the base inside the “shell” which is paper thin. It is a miracle in itself that it arrived in one piece without one chip. Being so delicate I keep it out all year so I don’t have to handle it. It brings back fond memories of our magnificent trip to Sardinia 28 years ago.
Thank you Maria for sharing the story of your beautiful Nativity from Sardinia. I would also keep it out all year to enjoy. I have been to Sardinia several years ago and it was lovely! Wishing you a most joyous Christmas Season.
Blessings,
Pam
Your Nativity is exquisite! Such gorgeous expressions, colors and perfect proportions. It truly is lovely.
How appropriate to quote the scriptures that apply to the Christmas story with each figure.
Sorry, I am late commenting. I have been out of town and had a weekend guest.
Have a great week.
Thank you Bonnie, you are a busy lady! Have a wonderful week my friend!
so beautiful Pam. I’ve never seen one this large or in so much detail. I agree, it’s found it’s perfect spot. Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas.
Thank you so much Debra for your sweet comments and for hosting! Wishing you a most joyous Christmas season!