Holiday Traditions: Weihnachtskrippe (Nativity Scene)

I don't consider myself a religious person, but I can appreciate some of the ideas and stories. I grew up without the believing aspect of religion, but the stories and traditions around it were always very present, especially during Christmas time. I have asked myself if it's OK for me to celebrate Christmas when I can't say I believe in God. And I decided that yes, I can. There’s more to it from my point of view than just celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Many of my own family traditions are so closely connected with Christmas and even when you take the religious part out of it, there are so many wonderful things to celebrate that I’m sure many Christians would also mention when asked what Christmas is all about: family, friends, peacefulness, love, music, food.

Setting up the nativity scene at home was always a big part of the Christmas tradition growing up. As long as I can remember, it was a family event every year to collect moss and twigs from outside, and to set up the scene. It’s funny how little details matter so much. For example, we’ve always used aluminum foil with a piece of glass as the lake or river. This year, before I realized it, I had already grabbed foil and created a river even though this was the first time in years I set it up. My dad brought it over when he came to visit earlier this year, knowing that this would be the year for Tony and I to decide on some of the holiday traditions we want Noah to grow up with.

This nativity scene has been in our family for six generations. All of the figures are handmade, the wood ones are from the mid-1800s, the plaster ones a bit younger, probably from around 1920. Some are even hand carved by my great-great grandpa (I believe he made the two sheep in the picture below). 

 

Of course this year Noah is only allowed to look, but I’m already looking forward to setting up the scene with him together when he is older. It’ll be a great tradition for him; we’ll talk about baby Jesus, the shepherds, and the angel, and tell stories about our own family history. 

We used to create the scene with a lot more warmth by adding stables, hay, moss, twigs, and fabric. This year I kept it simple and set it up far away from where the cats or Noah would be able to reach it. 

 

The three kings are the most valuable in this collection and have been restored some years ago. They're my second favorite after the shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders. 


 

Baby Jesus is plastic this year. I also have an old wax figure but that just looks creepy and nothing like a healthy newborn baby.

I'm glad I took it out of the box for a few days even though my boring setup didn't do it justice at all. I loved going through all the different figures which brought up lovely childhood memories. Can't wait to do it again next year.