I’ve lost track of how many years I’ve been collecting nativity scenes. A few years ago I cleaned out my nativity collection and got rid of many that didn’t have a sentimental value. I buy them at garage sales and thrift stores, too, so some of those got passed along to a new owner. And I sent one to my newly-married daughter one year so she’d have something to display for Christmas.
I shared a few of them back in this post. But I’ve had a lot of people ask about them since then, so I thought I’d introduce you to each one individually. The photo collage below includes two different sets that I bought at thrift stores. Not sure of their age and I forgot what year I bought them. (Which is why I’m now writing on the bottom when I buy them… where & when I got them.) I love these chippy old plaster ones! And the cardboard barn is unique, and still in good shape.
The manger scene in the photo below was hand carved from Texas mesquite wood by a friend of ours. I realize after looking at this photo that I need to display some greenery or something behind it so it will show up better against the wood!
Next we have a one-piece scene displayed with a vintage brush tree and some vintage game letters that I bought at Room With a Past. I’m pretty sure I bought the scene at Beverly’s (a local craft store that has since closed down).
The one-piece JOY and PEACE scenes below also came from Beverly’s. I bought all of these several years ago when they had a great selection. They haven’t had as many in any year since then!
This one-piece A-frame scene came from my favorite thrift store a few years ago. It’s old and I’m really amazed that it is in such good shape. It’s made of thin plastic and I don’t think anything is broken.
Below is another unique vintage one-piece scene. It’s an ornament but I’ve always been afraid to hang it on my tree… don’t want it to fall off & break.
The scene below came from Wal-Mart about five years ago. I love it because each piece has a Scripture verse on it. The wise men are on the opposite shelf.
I can’t remember where I got the scene below. See… I really need to start writing on them!
I do remember where this next one came from. When we went back to Texas in the summer of 2012, we saw a display of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Southwestern Seminary. There was a gift shop at the end of the tour with a lot of items from Israel. I bought this little ornament carved from olive wood since I knew I’d never get a chance to go to Israel to buy one.
I never dreamed that within 10 months of buying that ornament in Fort Worth that I would actually be standing in Bethlehem looking at a whole shop full of hand-carved olive wood nativity scenes.
This is the one I ended up buying. It was a hard decision. There were so many beautiful ones to choose from including one almost life sized that would have taken up about half of our living room!
I didn’t buy that one but I did buy a package of machine-carved ornaments. A few ended up staying on our tree! One of them is on the left below.
The white one on the right came from Hobby Lobby a few years ago. I bought a BUNCH of them in the clearance section and included them in gifts the next Christmas.
Mary, Joseph, and Jesus behind Peace (in the photo below) was purchased when we were stranded in a Canadian blizzard while visiting my daughter. You can read the post Jordann wrote about that here.
I try to limit myself to one new scene a year. I haven’t been doing very well this year.
The driftwood ornament was found on my first trip to Home Goods. (Yes, I FINALLY got around to going last week.)
Then I saw this unique set at the December Room With a Past sale and just had to get it. It’s plastic and stamped “made in Italy”. I’d love to learn more about where it came from.
Then the newest addition to my nativity collection came from my friend, Angie, who just got back from a trip to Europe. She brought me this cute ornament from Germany!
Then of course, I have my nativity necklace that I’ve been wearing about every other day since Thanksgiving.
There are a few more in my nativity collection that I haven’t photographed yet. And I’m sure I’ll buy more after Christmas, when stores start putting out holiday decorations next year, and anytime during the year that I find interesting scenes during the year. So I’ll write another post next December!
If you also have a nativity collection, check out these DIY projects:
- How to Stencil Nativity Ornaments on Wood Scraps
- DIY Nativity Signs – coming soon!
- Nativity Scenes for Preschoolers
Meanwhile, if you’re thinning out your holiday decorations and need to get rid of any nativity scenes you know where they can find a new home!
‘Til the next project,
Ann @ Duct Tape and Denim
Cindy says
Thank you for sharing your nativity collection. I have sent only Wise Men Christmas cards for 45 years and thru that tradition I have amassed a large collection if everything Wise Men. I know that you feel the same way that I do, each one is a treasure. Merry Christmas (a few months early).
Gina L Motteram says
LOVE IT! I collect Nativity’s as well 🙂
Linda says
I love this collection. Thank you for posting. I too have a cardboard barn like the one in the first one. It is from my childhood … many decades ago!
Linda says
Wonderful set of nativity scenes you’ve shown here! It got me thinking about the ones I have: there’s the plaster molded ones that I made with our sons in 1982. They are painted white and I still love them. For the ‘stable’, I’ve used a small wooden ‘specialty jam’ crate that is just perfect. I also have a goose egg passed on from my mom, with a tiny plastic nativity scene inside it. It is an ornament and every year, I worry that it might be broken; however, so far, so good. One year, our minister made me a beautiful ‘puzzle’ nativity. The pieces all fit together in the stable frame. It is a treasure for sure, especially as he’s now passed on. I also have a small olive wood laser carved nativity, which is made to hang on the tree. Isn’t it lovely to have these collections that really do mean something to us. I do like the stencil ones you’ve done, particularly the on on the free-form cedar piece. Your collection is truly inspiring.