Nativity sets or displays

Do you mean big ones like a "grotto" type?
I have seen "domestic" sets to buy at my garden centre.

Mine belonged to my G'ma so must be antique by now - not an expensive one but has been part of Christmas for all my life. It usually goes on the mantlepiece.

Someone locally has made a beautiful nativity post box topper. We are hoping it will stay as it is in a busy, CCTV monitored place.
But no, I haven't seen any in shops.

I didn't mean the grotto type nativity, I mean the smaller ones to have at home. If I do see them for sale, they are usually tucked away in a corner and are just a few. I do wonder nowadays if children are taught the real meaning of Christmas apart from santa. I guess they are taught at school and of course have the wee nativity plays which are lovely

John Lewis have a lovely nativity set for £30 if you are looking to buy one.

I just checked my local garden centre’s website, and they have a choice of 17 different nativity sets, I knew they were on display because I saw them when I was in there a couple of weeks ago, they are in their own section. It must depend where you look.

Mine was brought back from Spain by a dear friend of my parents when I was very small. They must be traditional there as I still see similar ones for sale.

Before that set we had plaster of Paris figures. I loved those ones most of all - but they were very damaged even then. We only have the donkey from that set now (with a broken ear). I expect it's survived as it's lying down!

We've at least one for every room in the house. Old -- Mum's, Mil's, our first one. Some from travel, some pressies, some quite new. All loved. Nativity, here, are never 'put away' -- part of everyday life.

I've got a wee plastic set bought the year I got married ,the kids have all loved it and played with it you'd be amazed at the "visitors" baby Jesus has had over the decades everyone/thing from Thomas the tank engine to Mario and Barbie .Youngest GD 4,cried to take it home with her last year ,her dad wanted it left here .He used to carry the angel from it in his pocket until his P2 teacher told me "they didn't believe in angels in the Ch of Scotland,so it wasn't allowed " Strange that ,theres been an angel on their crib for as long as I remember

We're not religiou, a crib was always a tradition when I was wee

Not all Christians celebrate Christmas, of course. My relative belongs to church which takes the writings in the bible quite literally. He doesn't celebrate Christmas because it is not in the scriptures. When he was baptised it was with total immersion in a river. I do hope that he would not be offended by a nativity set but I will ask him.

Ok so the word Christmas is not in the Bible, but how can he say the birth of Christ is not in the Bible, including the visit of the shepherds to the cattle shed, and the visit of wisemen to a house?

I like to see them. We have had a nativity set for many years, a wooden stable with ceramic figures. It goes on my hall table every year and the GC love setting it up and are very careful when they move the figures around. One of our local pubs had a beautiful large alabaster nativity set which they used to set up in the corner every year and it was much admired.

All Christians celebrate Christmas because it is a celebration of Christ's birth and it is clearly recorded in the scriptures, in the New Testament.

I have various figures I set out each year. They are a mix of three different sets, so the sizes don’t match but they are part of our tradition. Up in the loft is a hand made wooden crib set, quite a big one, too big for my house.

Not only do I have a nativity set which I set up every year, so do both of my AC, although one has no religious beliefs. She also comes to church with me for midnight mass.

The frame form my ntivity display is a crib display that my parents bought at Oberammagau in 1970. The one they bought for themselves now belongs to DD.

My crib figures are just the three main characters plus half a dozen angels acquired over the years a nd a top donkey. DD has knitted herself an extensive castof nativity figures.

We live in an old house with a huge, unused open fireplace in the hall. I put a small occasional table in the fieplace and put the nativity set on that.

I have 3 nativity sets, they’re beautiful

I don’t know where you get the idea ‘we can’t have public displays in case it offends people’ polomint. John Lewis , the Range/every garden centre all sell a wide variety. If you’re suggesting our Muslim communities might be offended, I hope you’re reassured to know our local primary schools and town centre continue to display nativity sets. We have a large Muslim community and I’ve never heard any worries from them

polomint

I have a nativity set at home and it's 57 years old and come out around 10th December every year. In all the shops and garden centres, cafe, restaurants etc there is never one on display. Oh yes there are plenty santas, snowmen, elves , gonks and so on but never nativity sets. I find it disappointing that we can't have public displays in case it offends people

I find it disappointing that we can't have public displays in case it offends people.

... perhaps ask those who we are continuously told are 'offended' whether they are or not - as opposed to believing what the tabloids say (every Christmas). Clue: they're not.

I saw this a couple of years ago... it's from 2016 - which doesn't matter because this happens every Christmas.

www.joe.co.uk/life/what-muslims-really-think-of-christmas-and-the-festive-period-104153

... one of the proudest mothers at the school nativity play was wearing the traditional Muslim headscarf.

I have an olive wood one we bought in Bethlehem many years ago, so sad that the horrors of war mean that no-one can do that now, and Bethlehem will not be doing much in the way of celebrating Christ's birth this year.

I also have a Jean Greenhowe's nativity made out of felt figures from a pattern in Woman's Weekly.

Occasionally you see a large nativity scene in the middle of a shopping mall, and that cheers me up.

eazybee

All Christians celebrate Christmas because it is a celebration of Christ's birth and it is clearly recorded in the scriptures, in the New Testament.

Not all, as I have just told you about my relative. It is something to do with identifying the actual date, I think.

My late Mum knitted a gorgeous nativity set from a Jean Greenhowe pattern. It took her months. Every year I made her a fresh cardboard stable, covered in Ivy etc and it would go on display in her church.

When she died I gave it to one niece who is mad about Christmas and she loves it. Mum also had a small ceramic set which I gave to another niece.

In the summer I spotted the identical knitted set to Mum’s at a car boot sale and bought it for £12. I will display it this year and think of Mum.

Lovely!

eazybee

All Christians celebrate Christmas because it is a celebration of Christ's birth and it is clearly recorded in the scriptures, in the New Testament.

Not all Christians celebrate Christmas.
Quote:
Witnesses do not celebrate Christmas or Easter because they believe that these festivals are based on (or massively contaminated by) pagan customs and religions. They point out that Jesus did not ask his followers to mark his birthday.

What a lovely thing to do for your nieces Primerose43, a beautiful way for them to remember your Mum x
I still make a scene/setting for my nativity set each December finishing off with some sparkle from those little battery fairy lights. Always a special moment when I open their box and carefully lift them all out each year, peaceful. Quite unlike delving into all the other decorations and bits & bobs.

Yes I thought it was probably a Jehovah's Witness. I know they call themselves Christians but they are extremely selective about which scriptures they choose to believe.

I spent part of my childhood in Singapore and Malaya (as it then was) and in those religiously and ethnically diverse countries everyone celebrated every religion's holidays whether it was Christmas, Diwali, Chinese New Year or Hari Raya Puasa, the local name for the end of Ramadan.

Would the peeople who decide not to display a crib or say anything about the religious meanng of Christmas, on behalf of Muslims, which they invariable aren't also refuse to do anything to recognise the end of Ramadan becaause it might offend Christians . And if not, why not?