1969 Sears Christmas, Nativities

1969 Sears Christmas, Nativities
Originally uploaded by mcudeque

Nice Catalog photos. It's great to see how they used to market Nativity sets.

Vintage Mod Nativity Set

Vintage Made in Italy plastic Nativity set.
I like this set. It is rendered in a stylized manner typical of mid-century aesthetics which I so dig. Just look at the stable with its asymmetrical steep roof. It houses the Holy Family in style. The look is so indicative of the era. Gotta love the playfulness of mod sensibilities.

It's Christmas in July once again!

It is hard to believe that half of the year has come and gone.
The month of July is here and for us Creche collectors out there, it is the time we start to think about what our Nativity display for this year would be like.

But before I start to brainstorm for ideas, I always find it inspiring to look back at how I set up the Nativity scene the year before.




These have to be my favorite Creche figures. They are antiques from the turn-of-the-century and are made in Germay. Each are hand-painted and made of composition, similar to papier-mache.

I used a simple layout to showcase this charming Nativity tableau.
Usually, I would set the figures in groups of odd numbers and display them on different "levels."
This time around however, I chose to set all the characters on one plain.
To add interest, I set the Holy Family and the Stable on a small little "hill." You can view the complete Nativity Scene here:

Getting Ready

And the wiseguys are out!

Emmanuel

The Nativity Up High.

Throughout the centuries the glorious birth of the Christ Child has been rendered by artisans in numerous ways. Some artisans produce exotic representations that came straight from the Bible: the Holy Family huddled together inside a cavern amidst Bethlehem's arabesque buildings and a starry night. Others choose to set it in a more familiar terrain, their own.




This nativity scene by Fontanini follows the latter. Here, the Holy Family and the shepherdess are shown garbed in an Italian peasant clothing. I chose to set the Nativity Story high up on the Tyrolean Alps as a personal reminder that even when everything seems bleak, there is still hope.

Shepherd

Presepio

Vintage Italian paper-mache Presepi figures.

Wise guys

A bunch of wise guys.

dime store Plaster Americana and some German paper-mache figures.

German Nativity

A rather large paper-mache German Nativity figures from the first half of the 20th century. Repainted sometime later and covered with mica glitters.
This set actually reminds me of Henry Darger's works; Baby Jesus looks a lot like his Vivian girls.

Here they cometh

Christmas is just a handful of months away.
Unbelievable.

Collecting Nativity Sets.

Everyone seems to have a hobby of their own. Some collect vintage toys, others ephemera, I on the other hand, collect nativity figures. I started collecting when I was little, after I received a Nativity set from my mom as a First Communion gift.
I know, an odd "hobby."

As a Catholic, they are the ultimate symbol of Christmas, a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

A Nativity set, similar to this, started my passion for collecting Creches.