That's Life!: Creche Festival

A few years ago our stake put on a Creche festival where everyone brought their nativities for display. The gym transformed into a lovely hall with fabric covering the walls and white Christmas lights twinkling around the room. Different music groups played carols on a variety of instruments creating a wonderful Christmas event. Outside visitors were greeted by a live nativity in a relatively cold dessert setting.

I miss it. While the live nativity continued, the inside festivities did not. Anyway, in memory of that I decided to hold my own creche festival, here in Bloggerville. Enjoy! (Sorry about the lack of twinkling lights, and go turn on your own Christmas music!)

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My friend, Amber, made this sweet Mary holding baby Jesus out of corn husks. I love nativities where Mary is holding the baby. I know that's what I'd be doing if I had the chance!

For many years John's family went to the Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square for a family Christmas outing. One year, we had time to wander around some of the other stores. One store had all of their nativities on a really good sale, but since we were spent out from Christmas I just window shopped. Little did I know that my mother-in-law was listening to my ravings about this particular set. She bought it without me knowing and sent it the following year. What a fun surprise!

John's grandma, who passed away earlier this year, had this nativity that we were given when they cleaned out her home. It's a sweet family unit.

This little inexpensive glass set holds a special place in my heart. Our first year married we were poor college students just happy as could be. We had the saddest little tree you've ever seen which we thought to be so beautiful. We taped our Christmas cards around the door way and had enough to decorate one little shelf but something was missing. A nativity. I went looking and found this sweet set that just fit my budget. I love it almost the most.

There are two in this picture. That little wooden one came as a gift from my parents who went to Argentina for Christmas one year with my brother and his family to visit my sister-in-law's parents who were serving a mission there. Did you get all that?

The tall Mary with baby came from an antique store in Ridgecrest. I loved it as soon as I saw it. I looked it up online just to see if it was worth anything and well, I got a good deal at the antique store but don't have any plans to double my money.

I ~~begged~~ asked my dad to make me this set. It's a replica of the set we had growing up. All of the pieces fit into the wooden stable there, if you are smart enough to figure out the puzzle.

This one doesn't have any real special story. I think I got it at Deseret Book when I spent enough to qualify to get this or something like that. However, I think it's tini-ness is just so cute! It sits in the bathroom window sill and I occasionally really hope it's not sacrilegious to have a nativity in the bathroom.

Ahh the memories of a good friend meet me whenever I gaze on this simple manger scene with trees. Thank you, Shar! I don't know how I got so lucky to get this one but it's a treasure!

Mary Englebreit drew that picture in the background and says at the bottom,

"Look to the beauty of this day. Miracles are all around you."

This sweet little African one came from a craft fair held here in Brigham last week. The proceeds all go to an African orpanage that the seller's daughter visited as a BYU student a year or so ago. The whole family is in on helping this place and who am I to not help!

RuthAnn, my mother in law, made this one when Jack and Jeffrey were small. I am proud to say we have all the pieces though one or the other gets lost at least once every Christmas. It's nice having one the kids can really play with.

My friend Amber who made me that first Mary with her baby had a craft day for all the kids she could find and we made these little babies in a walnut shell. So sweet! They are on the kids tree in our living room and I love it.

Our first year married (after I had bought that glass one) we were given this one by John's mom. it's been nice to have a bigger one. Our first year in this house (we had been here a couple of months) it became apparent we really needed a mantle. By the next year I had it! Thank you, John. It's the perfect place for this nativity! Beats the tv tray we set it up on in Smithfield!

RuthAnn also made this lovely quilt filled with scenes depicting that wonderous night. I use all the quilts she gives me (on the condition that if I use them I get more) but this one is mostly to look at and love. It's always in a spot where we can see it, not folded up or crumpled on the floor like the others!

We have a big nativity in our front window. We added lots of white lights this year to really set it off and believe me (or come and see me!) it's pretty! It's also really hard to take a picture of from the front so you get the bird's eye view. Still, looks pretty cool.