Olly Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 (edited) We've had a thread of people's Christmas trees, and after some of the posts on the 'Chicken Nativity Set', I'm intrigued to see what sort other people have! So here's mine - they are Santons, traditional French figures which I bought in Provence - there are lots and lots of different figures all representing traditional trades or skills, and I have only a few. Thanks for resizing, mod - afraid they're a bit small to see, but there's a baker, a priest, a hunter and so on. My plan is to buy a new one every year but I haven't been to the South of France for the last couple of years. Yes, those are chickens outside the stable, of course. Please post a picture of yours, I know there are wooden ones, knitted ones etc out there and I'd love to see them! Edited December 19, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I'm ashamed to say I don't have one - it's the one thing I really want but have never seen one that really appeals without being ridiculously expensive! I do love your santons though Olly. Must plan another trip to France! In the past we have had a plastic one (got played with and the pieces lost) and a card one (got squashed in the attic) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missuscluck Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Thats really lovley. Ours is a pound shop job bought when the kids were tiny but is still going strong and we still get it out every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 We still use the one I used to play with when I was a little girl. Very simple and traditional with the 3 kings, a shepherd, an angel, donkey, cow, lamb, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in a crib. I'm not religious, I'm afraid but I love the nostalgic feeling of taking everything out of the box and setting it up just as I used to when I was 6 years old . It's just a shame that I don't have the brown gloss painted drinking straw and cardboard stable Mum made years ago too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I dont own one, I too am not a religious person and neither is my family in general so I was not brought up with one of these to hand down to me, I am sure we would have broken it as kids if we had one, or the many many house moves we had would have done it for us. I did however get handed some very old tree decs! which get put up with all the others before my birthday (7th dec) every year which is tradition in my family. They are also up for my sons which is 27th December! when he was little he said 'are these all for my birthday??! ' if you've got to have a birthday at Christmas you might as well have a bit of sparkle with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I have a small wodden one with cheap ceramic figures.....but we've lost a shepherd and we now have a larger wooden one with nice ceramic figures which i bought a couple of years ago from the van hire place when we had to rent a large van in January - they were selling it off cheaply! It will be brought out on Tuesday when Lauren and Jake are here - photo on Tuesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 I grew up with one my mum had bought some time after or perhaps even during the Second World War - beautiful little painted figures, I think they are probably lead but some sort of metal anyway. It was one of my favourite bits of getting ready for Christmas, when she got the boxes of decorations out and I would play with the figures. We too had an 'art straw' stable at one point! My eldest sister has inherited that, but I'd already started my Santons collection. My sister informs me that the baby Jesus shouldn't appear in the scenario until Christmas Day, and the Three Kings aren't allowed to arrive until 6th January - but I tend to ignore that, too dull! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 We don't have a nativity set, there isn't anywhere to put one either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Our's is Playmobil! Best thing, in a house with small boys! Mind you, it does cause some interesting interaction - the wise men were fighting with their sceptres recently and right now all the main characters are scattered among the glittery junk the boys have made at school. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 We don't have a nativity set. We do however have a huge collection of small plastic figures, like the ones Macdonald's used to give away with happy meals. To amuse the children, when they were little, I used to make a nativity scene using some of them, it's a long time ago but I remember one year we had Smurfs as the shepherds, Mickey and Minnie Mouse as Mary and Joseph and Banana in Pyjamas as baby jesus Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Pottery in muted colours. I havent got it out this year though as I want to keep it whole for years to come. I do miss it though cos its one of the the things that make sme feel Christmassy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Lovely idea for a thread Olly. I love nativity scenes (Catholic upbringing) my OH a little as he is atheist. My main one is a wooden one I bought when a craftsman from Bethlehem was going around churches in England selling them a few years ago. The unrest at the time meant they weren't getting many visitors and that was a significant source of income lost. I also have a large German triangular one with candles that is my favourite - I persuaded OH that was my Christmas present a couple of years ago and a smaller German windmill nativity my parent bought me many years. I have several smaller ones from different countries. I love yours Olly ! I'd love to know where abouts in Provence you bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Can't find mine. It is a knitted Peruvian one that I had my arm twisted to buy by a mad nun about 5 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 We've got several - the playmobil one is a huge favourite but the children often confuse the situation by setting it up with pieces from the playmobil Father Christmas and his sleigh and reindeer set! My favourite though is a set we got in Venice just before Christmas a few years ago: Italians are big on nativity sets. This one came from kinder eggs ! Each chocolate kinder egg opened up to reveal another member of the holy family, a king, a shepherd or an animal. The baby Jesus has abundant blonde hair! The box the eggs came in serves as the stable. Since then we've added more figures from Italian nativity sets to ours: including chickens (of course) ducks, black cats and turtles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riane Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Well here is a item right up my street! Nativity sets....just a few!!! Enjoy...hope I have posted these ok?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted December 20, 2008 Author Share Posted December 20, 2008 oh wow Maria - a girl after my own heart! They are all fabulous - where did the sort of round tower one come from? I love the knitted one, mum made one of those for my cousin a few years ago but the sheep kept coming out with really silly expressions. Patricia - my brother has a holiday home near a place called Opio which is just outside Nice, they sell the figures in most of the shops around there; I used to buy mine in a shop in Valbonne, chiefly 'cos the lady in there spoke very 'BBC' French which I could understand easily! However apparently the shop has closed now. You can buy them online, curiously all the sites seem to be American try here, and there's a Wikipedia entry about them here. Mine are 4cm painted ones, the larger ones are much more elaborate but not as nice, to my mind (and they'd need a huge space!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shirl Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 We have a small wooden one where all the pieces are fixed in. E makes me laugh because she calls it Bethlehem rather than the nativity. They both love looking at it but as the pieces don't move they can't play with it so it stays in one piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I have one - it is very little, but gives me a great deal of pleasure each year - I have Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, the 3 wise men, the shepherd and his sheep and a wooden stable. I also have an additional camel that I gained in IRaq a few years ago and it is just the right size to accmpany the wise men -makes it more atmospheric somehow - if I can find the camera I will add a photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Here is my Peruvian crib The Infant looks old enough to be at Nursery School. A bit short on Shepherds and Kings too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clootie Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 If I close my eyes I can hear the pipes. Are they selling cd's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Miine is a tiny pottery one, abot 10cm by 10cm, hand made & fairly traded from Peru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 here it is! This is a Christmas card I got a few years ago. I think it's brill It has pride of place on my mantlepiece You can see my secret santa present wrapped in red paper on the left Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassett Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I'm not clever enought to post a picture, . But ours is a homemade very basic stable, we have straw on the floor and a few animals, Mary, Joseph, The shepherds, Kings and and lit star. It was OH's from when he was a boy. Family tradition dictates that baby Jesus is only placed in the crib on Christmas Morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
