Away in a manger

The crèche is a common and popular Christmas symbol. Literally "manger" in old French, we recognize the representation of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in large and small formats - ranging from the "living" Nativity scenes - complete with humans and animals - to the small table-top decoration.

Many Nativity scenes are heirlooms, delicate porcelain figures passed from generation to generation; some are more mundane, such as the Playschool figures that lived in the kid's toy box for a time. Or this durable needle-point crèche that Barb made when our children were babies. It is the oldest piece in our almost accidental collection.

In the Christmas Market in Old Town Square in Prague in 1995, we found the Nativity scene that became the seminal set in our collection. Fashioned from corn husks and bits of twigs and straw, this  crèche has been on display almost every Christmas since.

In 2008, we looked into a shop window in Lima, Peru and saw these figures in a familiar setting. In addition to the native dress of the indigenous Peruvian, the stable menagerie includes llamas. The clay figures survived the trip home and are among our favorites.

By this point, we became intentional about adding to our crèche collection, and searched an open-air market in Roatan, Honduras to find this primitive little figurine.

On St. Martin, in the Eastern Caribbean, we found an unusual representation of the family, nestled in an egg in Fabergé fashion.

Every Christmas, our church hosts an Art Fair and invites sellers of items that provide an outlet (and income) for craftsmen and artists around the world. This rustic set, made in Kenya, is self-contained, closing up into a rustic little wooden box. No animals, and Mary is well-hidden within the folds of her corn-husk mantle.

In Skagway, Alaska we found a simple scene crafted by native Alaskan artists. Barb says the animal to the right is a sheep. I like to think that it's a bear, in keeping with the locale.

At the Art Fair again, this year we added one of the larger sets in our collection. Carved from Olive wood by Rwandan artisans, these figures average 6" in height. Again, native dress and custom prevails, and the menagerie features animals found in East Africa.

Mary and Joseph

I considered not including this set. It is an inexpensive molded plastic Nativity that Barb picked up to use in her ESL classes. But there may be more humanity expressed in this set than in any of the others. First the group shot.

Now take a close-up look at the expressions on some of the figures:

 

Mary: "Joseph, there's something I need to tell you."

Joseph: "I'm a father!"

Wise Man: "A baby. Didn't see that coming."

 Whatever represents the coming of the Good News to you and your family, may it bring peace and great joy this season.