How to build a nativity scene for this Christmas
One of the essentials, I believe, for children at Christmas is the nativity story, which gives children the true spirit of Christmas
And for this, you can create a homemade kid-friendly nativity set, using natural materials.
The Christmas season is a busy, beautiful, and magical time of year for my family, creating crafts, like Christmas decorations, and things for our own nativity scene, and felt animals for the manger scene
A beautiful idea
Since my first child’s first Christmas, I began looking for a way to celebrate Christmas with my children in a way where presents and excessive eating are not the focal point of the celebration.
And I found this idea of a homemade nativity set, and I’ve been using it since, as I think it is a lovely way to present Christmas for children
The idea is to set a bare scene, and over the weeks, construct a beautiful nativity scene using mostly natural materials that the children can help to gather every week. I also like to tell them a nice Christmas story.
What is a Christmas nativity scene?
It is a display that represents the birth of Jesus. You would have the holy family (Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in a stable with figures like angels, shepherds and the three wise men.)
It can be made of different materials like wood or clay, or you can make it with felt or cloth materials.
It can be set anywhere in your home; it could be the Christmas corner or close to where the Christmas tree will be.
What nativity figures are in a Nativity scene?
The Holy family, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.
The Shepherds.
Common animal figures: The Ox and the donkey, and some sheep.
The three wise men
And the angels
What you need:
A coffee table or similar where to set the Nativity scene.
If possible, consider a surface area with a longer length, such as the top of a dresser, to allow Mary, Joseph, and the donkey to approach the stables more closely. If your space is limited, you can shape it in a spiral, with the stables located in the centre.
With the nativity characters, one of my favourite things to do is create nativity crafts with my children, but you can also find items around your home or purchase them.
How to build it:
A nice way to build it is by setting the scene with some Muslins or silks, and setting it the night before the first of the four Sundays before Christmas. So, for example, if Christmas Day were to fall on a Sunday, you would start on the 4th of December, which would be the first Sunday. But if Christmas Day falls on a Tuesday, the first Sunday would be on the 2nd of December.
In this nativity scene, you would be adding the different worlds created by God: Mineral, plant, animal and human. One world each week. From the first Sunday, you will have Joseph, Mary, and the donkey at the very beginning of the path, advancing a little each week until they reach the stables on Christmas Eve.
You can also have, if you like, a wreath or a wooden ring (you can purchase it from Myriad.co.uk ) with four candles and four angels, one for each Sunday. Each angel is explained below.
First week: Mineral world.
So you would start the first week collecting stones to lay on the scene. You can go outside or to the park every day and gather a few stones to add each day, or you can add them all that Sunday.
Light the first candle, with a blue angel.
Second week: Plant world.
In the second week (the third Sunday before Christmas), you will be adding some plants; it could be pine cones, holly leaves, moss, wood pieces, or whatever you find from the plant world. Just keep in mind, they might dry out by the time Christmas arrives.
You can also make them out of felt, so again you can add some pinecones on Sunday, some leaves on Monday, do a felt plant or tree craft on Wednesday and Thursday, cut out of paper, make something with wool or keep collecting whatever you find from outside! This can be done daily or weekly.
Light a second candle with a red angel.
Third week: Animal World.
This week is the animal world, so from outside, I don’t think there is much you can get, but you can make them, or find them among your children’s toys, or buy them! I like to make them (the first year!), the next year you can hide them around the house or wrap them up, one each morning for your child to open and set on the nativity scene!
Same of the animals you can have in the nativity scene are:
The camel of the three wise men
an ox, a donkey, some sheep, some hens, a rooster.
Light the third candle with a white angel.
Fourth week: the human world.
In the fourth and last week, you would add the shepherds, the three wise men and Mary and Joseph in the manager and on Christmas Day, baby Jesus!
You can make them of felt, clay or beeswax.
Light the fourth candle with a purple angel.
The four angels for this nativity scene:
You can draw the angels, make them of clay or felt, or you can also check my post on how to make wool angels and make them of wool.
You light a candle for each angel, so you light one the first week then two then three and then four.
The blue angel:
Is for the first Sunday, the angel wears a grand blue cloak woven from silence and peace and sings a song that announces Christmas is coming
The red Angel:
It is for the second Sunday and descends from heaven. This angel is dressed in a grand red cloak and, with the left hand, carries a basket made of gold, crafted from the rays of the sun, and longs to fill it with love, so searches for a bit of love in the hearts of human beings.
The white angel:
For the third Sunday before Christmas. This angel descends from heaven, dressed all in white, and has in the right hand a ray of the sun.
This white Angel goes to all the human beings whom the red angel found love and touches them with the ray of light, and warms and illuminates their hearts.
The purple Angel:
For the Sunday before Christmas, this angel wears a grand purple cloak and carries a Lyre. With this, Lyra the angel plays the sweetest music and accompanies with harmonious singing. The singing of peace, the singing of baby Jesus.
If you like this idea, please let me know in the comments!
