Happy birthday, Jesus! Merry Christmas, all who read this today. This article was previously posted on Parenting With a Smile.

Something you probably don’t know is that I collect nativities. I don’t have a bunch of them, but I do love the ones I have. Several of them were given to me. Here are pictures of some of my favorites.

Southwestern Nativity – This was giving to by my friend, Donna. I love how different it is from any others I have. I also love the detail and that the drummer boy is playing a tom-tom. Living in Arizona, it’s perfect for my southwestern culture.

 

Traditional Ceramic – This was my first nativity and I’ve put it out for over thirty years. I love the soft colors and the sweet faces of the holy family.

 

Olive Wood – This nativity is special to me because my parents brought it back to me from the Holy Land. Sadly, some of the pieces have been lost through the years. But I still put it out because it comes from the actual birthplace of our Savior.

Cloth nativity – This one doesn’t live at my house any more, but it did for many years while my children were growing up. My mom made it for them and now my grandchildren enjoy it at my daughter’s house. They can play with the figures without fear of breaking them.

Newest addition – I was given this simple nativity this year, again by my friend, Donna. Isn’t it beautiful?

While I was writing this blog, my daughter texted me a picture of my only granddaughter, Lillian, in her new Christmas dress. I just had to include it in this post because I’ve never seen a Christmas dress quite like it. So this isn’t really part of my nativity collection, but it’s a great excuse to show off my darling five-year-old granddaughter. 🙂 Don’t you think?

 

Do you have nativity sets you put up at Christmas? Please share descriptions of them and any nativity family traditions in the comments.

Linda