I bought my creche about 25 years ago from a department store that no longer exists. It was the week after Christmas and I got it for 70% off. It was one of the best investments I've ever made.
The figures in my creche are made out of some kind of rubberized material that bounces when dropped. That's a good thing, because all of the figures have been dropped a lot. I've always kept it on a low table, so whatever children come over can play with it.
Before we had this creche, we had an inexpensive one that my mother-in-law had bought for her mother when she was in a nursing home. The figures in that set were made from plaster of paris. I had glued heads on so often that they all looked as hunchbacked as Richard III in a bad production of the play. Or Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein. Reglued plaster doesn't take well to retouching with paint, either, giving them a rather leperous appearance.
The figures in my creche are made out of some kind of rubberized material that bounces when dropped. That's a good thing, because all of the figures have been dropped a lot. I've always kept it on a low table, so whatever children come over can play with it.
Before we had this creche, we had an inexpensive one that my mother-in-law had bought for her mother when she was in a nursing home. The figures in that set were made from plaster of paris. I had glued heads on so often that they all looked as hunchbacked as Richard III in a bad production of the play. Or Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein. Reglued plaster doesn't take well to retouching with paint, either, giving them a rather leperous appearance.
The year after the 9/11 attack, a sniper showed up on the roof of the stable. He was a green plastic army man who lay flat on his stomach, his gun pointing forward as he protected the baby Jesus. It's not unusual for the Army to reassign soldiers. The sniper must have been stationed elsewhere, because he eventually disappeared. Now, two infantry men are covering roof-top security.
In 2017 my husband and I moved out of the city, and I began teaching at a rural school. Many of my students lived on ranches and worked with livestock. I don't think any of them had anything to do with the cowboy who showed up in the stable soon after, but it did seem appropriate to have someone there to look after the livestock and keep them from lowing all night.
The COVID scare has kept children away from the manger scene now for the last two years. I am hoping that this Christmas will see small hands holding these figures once again, and we will have the opportunity to talk about who all these figures are and why Jesus is the central figure. Maybe, when I pack this display up sometime after January 6, I will have a new figure or two to put away. Everyone is always welcome at the creche.
Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas.
The COVID scare has kept children away from the manger scene now for the last two years. I am hoping that this Christmas will see small hands holding these figures once again, and we will have the opportunity to talk about who all these figures are and why Jesus is the central figure. Maybe, when I pack this display up sometime after January 6, I will have a new figure or two to put away. Everyone is always welcome at the creche.
Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas.
