We have invited people to bring their nativity scenes or creches to church this Sunday. We did this a few years ago and it was fun. We set them up in the hall and folk stood with their scene and explained its background. I hope that it works out well this time around and I hope those of you who are local will bring yours along.
A colleague shared the clever You Tube Digital Nativity which you can watch at the attached link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHNNPM7pJA It's "over the top" and effective at the same time.
There is another out of Australia which is very sweet sent to me by daughter Jocelyn: http://markpetersen.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/a-refreshing-take-on-the-christmas-story/
PBS offers a seven-minute explanation of the tradition of nativity scenes at this link http://video.pbs.org/video/1696164037/ I think its worth watching.
Do you have a nativity scene with a past? Would Christmas just not be Christmas without it? Any passed on from generation to generation?
2 comments:
For me - Christmas without the nativity would not be Christmas. My first memories are snuggling with my brother and parents on the couch while Dad read the Nativity story (this was before my sister's birth and before Christmas Eve services). My first nativity was a paper figure nativity that I colored, cut out and used a cardboard box as a stable/cave that I shared with my Sunday School classes. That was followed by a small pottery set that my mother brought for me but came with this amazing and awesome stable that my dad handmade. My next nativity was a fabric nativity that I cut out, stuffed and sewed together that I have used in church, children's time and church school. While living in St. Catharines, I went to a 10,000 Village Fair and brought a 6 -10 inch tall carved olive wood nativity set which is similar to my mother's and sister's set and fits in my father's stable so well. To this set, I have added various stuffed animals, insects, a full orchestra and choir made up of stand alone angels. My oldest angel dates back to 1964 - a red angel given to me by my grade 1 classmate. Unfortunately, my nativities are not that old, although, I still have all my nativities but one - when I was in Brantford, I had a young teen who desperately wanted a nativity and I gave her the pottery set.
Thank you for painting such a lovely picture of your nativities through the years Susan. We didn't have as many at St. Paul's this year, but it was still fun to see them.
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