Meet My Nativities: The Oddballs

Despite the best-designed rules of collection, unexpected (and sometimes odd) things slip in.

Folks will purchase a set for you (pewter from Mexico) because they know you have a collection:


Since I don't walk around sharing my collection rules, the occasional gift now and then is to be expected.

And every now and then you'll spot a nativity that doesn't fit your collection rules but you have to get anyway:


Who can resist a nativity featuring VeggieTales?

I've shared my collection with you all. Now I'm ready to hear from you.

What do you collect? Do you have any rules for collecting? Share away!

Meet My Nativities: Travels

With the purchase of the Alaskan nativity, focus arrived for my collection: I'd only collect nativities related to our travels.

That's how we ended up with a Precious Moments nativity:


And this wildly colorful fabric collage nativity from San Antonio's Market Square:


We found this simple and elegant nativity (by a Native American artist) near the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico:

Then there's the fun yurt nativity I picked up in Kyrgyzstan - a place few had heard of before recent events.

Like my Alaskan nativity, the yurt is incredibly unique! Love it!!

My nativity collecting process is really pretty simple:

• Does the nativity catch my attention?
• Does it reflect the place?
• Have I actually been to the place?

Meet My Nativities: The Boy's Gift

The Boy took me on an Alaskan cruise for our honeymoon. While on a port stop, we saw an incredibly unique (and expensive) nativity set in one of the local shops:


I instantly fell in love. It was undeniably the nativity, yet was also uniquely Alaskan. Just look at how warmly wrapped Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus are - and Jesus is nestled safely on a dogsled:

I battled a cold our entire honeymoon. After touring around town, I headed back to our room for a nap. Unbeknownst to me, The Boy headed back into town and bought the nativity I'd admired.

It's one of my favorites to this day.

Meet My Nativities: A Collector Is Born

Before leaving Kenya, I added to my nativity collection with several sets made of ebony.

I also picked up a nice set made of soapstone:

I've given the ebony sets away as gifts over the years - I only wish I'd kept one set for myself. Yet another reason to return to Kenya for a visit!!

By the time I returned to the U.S., I'd definitely been bitten by the collecting bug!

Meet My Nativities: My First Purchase

When I moved to Kenya, one of my friends collected a nativity produced by a Tanzanian sculptor. I loved her set - loved the artist's work even more - and thought I'd buy a set of my own.


His work is amazingly detailed. Just look at Mary's face:


And the patches on the shepherd's robe:

This is one of my favorite sets. It's delicate, detailed and, despite being made of clay, very realistic.

Meet My Nativities: Where It Began

As evidenced by my need for a display cabinet, I have a decent-sized nativity collection.

I didn't start out to collect nativities, it just sort of happened. While in college, I worked with international students. After one particularly taxing event that we worked on, some of my friends from Palestine gave me this lovely nativity:


The next year, they gave me these:

And when I graduated, they gave me this:

They're all carved from olive wood. Gorgeous!

Even though I now had four nativities, I didn't consider myself a collector. After all these were simply lovely gifts from some lovely friends.

And, I suppose, that's how collections often get started.