Our Growing Nativities

I mentioned our "Growing Nativities" in a previous post. We keep Christmas pretty simple around here, and this is basically our only tradition (besides a tree, stockings and presents), but this is my favorite.  This is one tradition that I started just for our family, and I have been doing it every year since Hannah's first Christmas. It started out as an alternative for not having enough money to buy a nativity set for our family, and it has turned into something so special that I am not sure I will ever love a store bought nativity as much as I love these little handmade nativities. The kids look forward to this tradition more than I ever expected. It takes a little work, but it is worth it when I see how excited they get about it. Every part of the growing nativity is made up of Terra-cotta pots and wooden shapes that you get from the craft store. It just takes a little imagination to figure out how to glue them all together to make something that looks like a part of the Nativity. I made a list of what piece they will make each year, and they label each part with their name and year that they made it. They love getting the nativities out each year and figuring out how old they were when they made certain pieces.

This year, I took them to my craft room, one at a time to make a new addition to their nativity and we talked about the new addition and how it's special to the story of Christ's birth. This year was the year that Lucy got to make a bed for Baby Jesus. She doesn't have a stable yet because I didn't think ahead the one year that I saw them at Walmart for $7.00. I am still kicking myself for not picking up one more! I may have to make one myself this year because I have only been able to find them on the Internet for $25.00+. Maddie added a Joseph to her Nativity this year, she has had so much fun playing with her nativity this season. It's like a little dollhouse for her.

Hannah made a lamb for her Nativity set,

and Johnny got to paint and glue a star above the baby Jesus.

This year we had them show their new nativity pieces to the rest of the family on Christmas Eve and tell about why that part is important to the story of Jesus' birth.  This is my vision for future Christmases, I'll let you know how it goes---

Christmas Nativity Tradition:

--That evening, as a family, we read the Christmas story and sing songs.  

*Luke 2:1-14

*Matthew 2:1-15.  

--Afterwards the kids get to show what they made and tell the family why the new addition is important to the story of Christ’s birth, life and death.  (There are so many connections between Christ’s birth and ultimate sacrifice, that we try to make those connections at this time and then again during Easter time.)  

Year 1:  Baby Jesus (a little wooden ‘doll head’ dowel with a face painted on it, and I try to find a stable for the nativity as it grows.)

*Luke 2:11

“Christmas is a celebration of the day Jesus was born.  He is our Heavenly Father’s Son and he came to Earth to help us so that we can live with Heavenly Father again.”

Year 2:  Wrap a cloth around baby Jesus (we glue it on)  

*Luke 2:12

“When Jesus was born, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes to keep him warm.” (We mention to the older kids that Jesus was wrapped in cloth again when he died.  When we see the swaddling clothes, we can be reminded that Jesus’ mission here on Earth was to give his life for us.)

Year 3:  Make a manger for baby Jesus filled with straw.

*Luke 2:7

We explain what a manger is and then make a comfortable bed out of it for baby Jesus.

Year 4:  Mary

*Luke 1 and 2.  

This is where it gets fun, we get to start talking about Mary’s experiences.  

“Mary was Jesus’s mom, she had a lot and faith and took very good care of Jesus.”

Year 5: Joseph

*Matthew 1: 18-25

“Joseph was a kind and loving man who took care of Mary and Jesus, he was Mary’s husband but he was not Jesus’s real Father.  Who was Jesus’s real Father?”

Year 6: Donkey

Mary probably rode on a donkey during her trip to Bethlehem with Joseph though there is no scriptural reference to this.  

Jesus also rode on a donkey during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem just days before his crucifixion.   Both journeys were very important.

*Luke 19:29-35

Year 7: Chicken

We only decided to add a chicken because Hannah had a fetish with birds when she was this age.  This is how we tied it into Jesus’s love for his earthly brothers and sisters and his mission here on Earth.:

*Luke 13:34.  

Year 8:  Star

The Star guided the wisemen to Jesus.  

*Matthew 2:2-10

“What do we use to guide us nowadays?” (This is a fun conversation and can be pretty deep for an 8 year old, it starts out with GPS’s, road signs, teachers, parent’s and then moves into the scriptures, the Holy Ghost and living prophets.)  “How is Jesus Christ’s life a guide for us?”

Year 9:  Angel

*Luke 1: 26-38

The angel Gabriel came to Mary (in the Bible Dictionary we are told that the angel Gabriel is Noah. (HC 3:386))

*Luke 2:8-14  

“the angel of the Lord,” proclaimed Christ’s birth to the shepherds.

Year 10:  Lamb

We talk about the angel coming to the shepherds in the field to proclaim Christ’s birth, then we mention that Jesus is called the Lamb of God in the scriptures.

*1 Nephi 10:10

*John 1:29

We usually talk a little about the Law of Moses, how the Children of Israel were commanded to sacrifice a perfect lamb *Exodus 12:5, and how Jesus is the “ great and last sacrifice” *Alma 34:10

Year 11:  Sheep

Again we highlight the angel coming to the shepherds in the field to proclaim Christ’s birth, then we talk a little about some places in the scriptures where Sheep are mentioned.

*Luke 15:4-6

*John 10:2-5

*1 Nephi 1:22-25

Year 12:  Shepherd

Again we talk about the angel coming to the shepherds in the field to proclaim Christ’s birth.

*Luke 2:8-18

There are so many scriptures that liken Jesus to a Good Shepherd, we talk about these scriptures at this time.

*John 10:11

Year 13:  Camel

We read about the camel in the Bible Dictionary.  It is an interesting animal, and though there is no scriptural reference to this, the wisemen probably rode it on their journey to find baby Jesus.

Year 14:  Wiseman (Gold)

*Matthew 2:11

Ask the question: Why do you think that the Wise men presented Gold to Jesus?

Year 15:  Wisemen (frankincense)

*Matthew 2:11

Ask the question:  Why do you think that the Wise men presented Frankincense to Jesus?

(Read about Frankincense in the Bible dictionary)

Year 16:  Wisemen (Myrrh)

*Matthew 2:11

Ask the question:  Why do you think that the Wise men presented Myrrh to Jesus?

(Read about Myrrh in the Bible dictionary)

Year 17:  Yourself with heart (made the same way as all of the other characters, but holding a heart.)

Ask the question:  What role does Christ’s Nativity play in your life?....What can we do to make Christ’s birth, life and death meaningful in our lives.

*2 Nephi 2:7

*D&C 59:8

*Psalms 147:3

Year 18:  “Wisemen still seek him” quote (tiny easel and canvas)

*1 Corinthians 2:5

*James 1:5

*2 Nephi 9:28

Ask the question:  "At this time in your life as you are heading out on your own, what does this quote mean to you?"

Bear testimony of Christ’s birth, Atonement and Resurrection.

Update 2014: Here are a few pictures of their nativities when they pulled them out this year. I love how unique they are. As you can tell, they did most of the work themselves and they are heavily played with. We have had to re-glue quite a few pieces, but they love them so much. Recently we took them to a Church Christmas party to display as centerpieces for tables. I have never seen kids so proud to share their nativities and so careful to make sure that no pieces were lost. They have really put their hearts into them each year and making them together gives me a sweet opportunity to share my love for our Savior and my testimony of his love for them.

Hannah's Set at age 12

Johnny's set at age 10

 Maddie's set at age 7

 Lucy's set at age 5

 The Mary's

 The Babies

 The Angels make me laugh

 The Camel was designed by Hannah, I just got the same pieces for all of my kids and put them in separate ziplock bags for when they turn 12.