Born in a Manger

No Christmas is complete without a "Nativity Scene"/"Manger Scene"/"Creche" showing the baby Jesus resting in a manger, and, at a minimum, Mary and Joseph in attendance. Most include angels, shepherds, wisemen, and lots of animals (it is in a stable). The figures follow the most familiar version of the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke, but over the centuries the scene has been embellished to include many additional figures.

As I write this, I'm also struck by how French this is: creche is French for cradle or crib; nativity has Latin roots, added to English through French; and manger in French means "to eat" and in English is the food trough for animals in the stable. Thoroughly French!

Here are photos of our four versions of the Nativity.

A very traditional scene set in a rustic stable.

A close-up of the Holy Family.

A porcelain Nativity set that was "collected" over about 10 years. (Lenox china knows how to keep you coming back each year.) It really deserves more space, but we managed to squeeze all of it on top of our fireplace.

Again, the Holy Family.

A Nativity carousel. The Holy Family is in the center, and when the candles are lit, the hot air moves the the vanes at the top, and the angels, shepherds, animals, and wisemen rotate around the center.

The figures are rather toy-like.

And finally, a modern stylized rendition made by a member of Lon's mom's church. This one is made from walnut. I liked the way my flash added a nice Christmas star in the background!