Away in a Manger

One of our traditional destinations when we are entertaining guests is the town of Frankenmuth, home of Bronners, where Christmas items are on sale 365 (well, actually 361) days of the year. One area I love to visit is the crèche department. There is something for everyone. Personally, I will not be buying the White Marble Lighted Plastic Nativity Collection (marble? plastic?) but that is for outside use and mostly sold out “due to high demand.” Many of the traditional crèches are beautiful and expensive. They come from Russia and India, Italy and the Philippines. Each reflects the diversity of the country from which it comes.

I would like to collect some of these sets, but the sheer number of small fingers exploring every reachable flat space in our house makes it impractical. We have two nativity sets which I pull out every Christmas. The first came with us from California almost forty years ago. Los Angeles was a treasure trove of Mexican pottery. The figures around the manger are solid and reassuring. The colors are muted yet rich. Mary looks like she just had a baby. I find the spots and the whirls attractive and wonder about the meaning of the other designs.


In stark contrast is the crèche from Rwanda that was a gift from Gody. All the carved wooden figures are tall and slender, their faces finely chiseled. The animals are realistic and delightful. I love the detail of Mary’s hair and the king’s crowns, and the sheen of the dark wood.

Next time we go to Bronners I must visit this department again. Maybe I have room for one more . . .