What would we see at your Christmas Creche?
BabyWombat
Shipmate
in Limbo
As a companion to the Christmas Tree discussion, what would we see looking at your creche scene? What is it like? Where does it rest? And, question of all questions, when do the figures arrive?
At Chez Wombat we have a very stark, African wood carved scene, with shepherds and kings rather elongated and thin; Mary kneeling, Joseph standing by, Baby Jesus quite independent in his carved swathing bands. All look rather like they come from the Maasai tribe, long and lean; faces and hands are in ebony.
They shall all sit on a table in front of a window in the dining room, within view of the tree in the front room. The table will be covered in a brilliant red and gold thread Indian sari, topped with a linen square. The figures will arrive just before pre-dinner drinks on the 24th, and stay until Candlemas. (yes, kings in place already on the 24th... sorry!)
At Chez Wombat we have a very stark, African wood carved scene, with shepherds and kings rather elongated and thin; Mary kneeling, Joseph standing by, Baby Jesus quite independent in his carved swathing bands. All look rather like they come from the Maasai tribe, long and lean; faces and hands are in ebony.
They shall all sit on a table in front of a window in the dining room, within view of the tree in the front room. The table will be covered in a brilliant red and gold thread Indian sari, topped with a linen square. The figures will arrive just before pre-dinner drinks on the 24th, and stay until Candlemas. (yes, kings in place already on the 24th... sorry!)
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There are lots and lots of Fontanini sheep. You can never have too many sheep. A few goat and donkeys (including one that has a blanket across it, to imply Mary rode on it). A couple cows for the interior of the stable. A couple camels outside (one sitting, one standing). Some shepherds, and a few "towns people" including a Goose Girl along with separate geese. There are a collection of cats, who mostly hang around the stable (with one on the roof stalking a rooster).
Over the front of the stable hangs the angel Gloria (so called because she carries a sign reading "Gloria"--so nice when they have name tags!). Mary & Joseph are in place, currently gazing over an empty crib. The Baby Jesus will not appear until Christmas Day.
The three Wise Guys are on the far other end of the sideboard. Currently, there is a large scented candle between them and the stable. After Christmas Day, they will slowly move closer and closer to the stable, to arrive on January 6. They are all seated on mounts: one on a spirited white horse; one on a camel; and one on an elephant. I went without Kings for years because I was waiting until I could afford the mounted set (instead of the much cheaper individual "walking Kings" set from Fontanini).
Please note that the scented candle is Quite A Distance from the Ancient Hay. Because devastating fires make the Baby Jesus melt.
I love it.
It sits on the mantelpiece, out of the reach of small people who might try to eat it, with the exception of the wise men who are currently traversing across the top of the piano.
Baby Jesus hasn’t appeared yet, but we’re at my parents’ place for Christmas so I think he’s going to have to arrive early. Actually now I think about, given events in the rouge household this year I quite like the idea of making the Lord into a preemie.
Wise men approaching from the other side of the candle-bridge (which happens to be roughly east); there's a star hung in the middle of the curtain-rail, so they can follow it.
My next favorite stays up all year. My BFF brought it from Alaska, and Mary and Joseph are Inuit, as is baby Jesus. It all sits on a rabbit pelt, and there is a bear, wolf and moose around the manger and guarding the Holy Family.
Currently, plastic baby Jesus is enjoying a ride in a fire truck.
The stable goes on the sideboard near the tree and currently the shepherd and sheep abide on a high shelf. Ox and ass hang out in the stable. The Holy Family approach along the mantelpiece, the wise men in hot pursuit. The baby Jesus will arrive Harry Potter fashion this year as he's currently nestled under our owl ornament. Other years he's arrived by Lancia, in one of Mr Nen's model cars.
When Nenlet1 was at home it was always her job to set the scene up and she would love a set of her own but we've never seen another one as nice.
At home: Wooden 3 sided stable structure. Crib was made in Germany c1900; the figures are "traditional" in style and are c30cm high. We have Mary, Joseph, 3 adult Shepherds (1 playing bagpipes), 1 Shepherd boy, Ox, Ass, 2 Sheep. When I get back from Midnight Mass the figure of the Christ Child in the manger will be added. Sadly I don't have the right fitting to include a rather splendid angel which should be suspended from a hook. On 6th January we will add 3 Magi, 1 Camel and 2 Horses. And the whole thing will be on top of an old bride chest.
At church: varies from year to year. I only hope this year we don't revert to the dreadful figures made from straw/ bamboo which looked like a load of corn-dollies dressed by a kindergarten class
https://bbc.in/2EpTbDN
That's a nice idea ... I could supplement my knitted Nativity with a Gaudi inspired bull from Barcelona, a Bengal tiger from Ranthambhore, my two London 2012 mascots Wenlock and Mandeville from the Olympic Village, and possibly a small Dalek!
Having seen yesterday that the dreaded corn-dolly crib had made a reappearance I got a call from one of our churchwardens 2 hours ago to report that, alas, someone has taken 4 of the figures from it (Christ Child, Mary, Joseph, Ass), the remainder are somewhat battered. They were appalled at the theft, of course, but the reason for the call was to ask if they could borrow our crib because it had been so lovely to see when we had an exhibition of cribs 3 years ago?
Although the children will miss it they've agreed we should lend it so it has been boxed up, the stable unearthed from the depths of a chest, and the children have taken the whole lot to be re-erected in church even as I type this.
I'm calling to mind Hezekiah 3:7
I did spy some beautiful wooden sets in Oberammergau when I went for the Passion Play in 2010. I regret not splurging and getting one. Maybe if I go in 2020.
I also have three fuzzy felt cards, one with Mary, Joseph and the Baby, one with the shepherds and one with the wise men, given to me over three Christmases after I had been reminiscing about using fuzzy felt as a very young Sunday School teacher. The first two are travelling with me.
Someone (I suspect husband of flower supremo) had the bright idea of putting it on a plinth covered in straw so that the stable (which we rarely use) almost comes to the underside of the altar in the Lady Chapel, with lights hidden so the whole thing appears floodlit, and they must have put in a hook because our "flying" angel floats over the whole thing.
The usual characters are grouped around the central scene (BVM, Joseph, manger and Christ Child) and the Magi have been placed on windowsills with their animal as if travelling towards Bethlehem.
Much talk at church about how much better it is than the corn-dolly crib: certainly I think that having the whole thing where it is, rather than on top of a rickety table in front of the Christmas tree, is an improvement.
Yeah, where I live it's called a nativity scene. A former associate minister at work gave me this one some years ago. I put it on a bookcase shelf in front of the books, and as I'm nearly always out of town right at Christmas, I have fun advancing the magi a bit every day until January 6. It's always fun to see if the cats discover it and bat it around.