Christmas in July – Exotic Nativities

Now is the time to gather gifts for Christmas, and items for your own holiday celebration.

I recently received an e-mail announcing a clearance sale at SERVV. SERVV is a fair trade organization which works to assure that that artisans in poor countries are paid a proper wage for their products.

Here are some of the nativity items being offered on clearance. Several are blue:

Nativity Wall Art - Was $22., Now $8.99. Made in Peru
Colorful jute wall art with the nativity scene appliquéd and embroidered in cotton. Natural jute backing with a narrow sleeve for the dowel hanger. 16 in. long x 12 1/2 in. high

Capiz Nativity – Was $62, Now $23.99. Made in the Philippines
Translucent capiz shell and elegant brass wire form this luminous one-piece nativity. 10 in. l x 4 3/4 in. w x 9 1/2 in. h.

Ayacucho Ceramic Nativity – Was $32, Now $12.99. Made in Peru
Hand made clay ceramic figures represent typical Andean style from the Ayacucho region. Nine figures. tallest figure: 5 in. h. Aren’t the two reclining animals cute?

Not on clearance, but priced well is a nativity set especially for children.
Children's Nativity - $14.00 Made in Sri Lanka.
Vivid colors and lead-free paint make this a great first nativity set for kids. 10 pieces, 1/2in. w, tallest figure: 4in. h

Here is one set I bought from SERVV several months ago.
Tranquil nativity - $17. Made in Viet Nam
White ceramic with hand painted blue detail on this peaceful Holy Family. Three figures. tallest figure: 5 1/4 in. h

This is a great opportunity to acquire a nativity and support free trade, thereby assisting artisans in poor communities across the world. These would make nice gifts for friends or relatives -- or get one to add an exotic touch to your holiday decor.

Blue Monday is sponsored by our gracious Sally at Smiling Sally. Visit her blog for more participating posts.

ABCs of the Word – W

Pam at Grey Like Snuffie hosts ABC’s of the Word to focus on a scripture in which the week’s letter is highlighted.

This week’s theme letter is W as in WORD

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made
that has been made.
John 1:1-3 NIV

Isn’t it amazing to contemplate that the God of the universe would come and become a part of our human history? And as a part of our history to bring us the gift of eternal life!

Baby Jesus from Castagna nativity, Made in Italy

For more ABC’s of the Word visit Pam at Grey Like Snuffie.

clipart - DoverPublications.com

New Mantel Display

Christmas in July is a great concept for someone who loves Christmas, so I'm glad for this opportunity to share my nativity collecting interest.

The living room was painted just a few days ago. In putting the room back together I decided to change the mantel display. The previous display was a 7-piece nativity set hand crafted in USA. Done in soft pastel colored glass, range in height from 4 to 11 inches. The new mantel display is Department 56 porcelain village "Little Town of Bethlehem." There are three lighted buildings and several figures.



At Christmas time I would use an evergreen garland, but for now I placed an ivy garland behind the nativity scene.

Previously this set was displayed on a shelf which divided the living room from the hall stairs.

The change of wall color from off-white to light green and the change to the porcelain nativity makes me happy. I will post about the color metamorphosis on my main blog next week.

Metamorphosis Monday, is hosted by Susan of Between Naps on the Porch. Go there for a listing of more transformations.

Blue Monday – A Special Bing and Grondahl Christmas Plate

Blue Monday is a delightful weekly feature sponsored by Sally at Smiling Sally.

Today I would like to share another Christmas collector plate. This one was the 1991 Christmas plate from Bing & Grondahl, made in Denmark. The Christmas plate series is a long one going back to the 1890’s. The 2009 edition will be the 115th Christmas plate.

During its long run as a series, there have been very few with a nativity theme. In 1911 the 17th plate in the series was titled "Angel and Shepherds." Then in 1922 , the 28th plate was named "Star of Bethlehem." Here is a photo of my plate; it shows the town of Bethlehem with the star above:

The title for the 1991 plate has a contemporary ring, "The Holy Family as Refugees." We see so much in the news about international refugees nowadays, that we can certainly realize how difficult it must have been for the Holy Family to flee their homeland and Herod’s soldiers.

The plate shows Joseph leading a Donkey carrying Mary and Jesus, Star above and pyramid in the distance.
Printed on the back of the 7 1/8" diameter plate: "The Holy Family as Refugees Mary and Joseph with the infant Jesus fled oppression, even as millions of people have done throughout history. The Holy Family was able to go home again, but other refugees have had to start live over in new lands. Giving them a helping hand affirms the inestimable value of human lives."

I can certainly hope that Bing and Grondahl will produce more Christmas plates with a nativity theme soon.
See Allens, Inc. for photos of the various series of Bing and Grondahl collector plates.

Enjoy more Blue Monday at Sally’s blog, Smiling Sally.

Blue Monday – Book, The Night of the Child

Blue Monday is a delightful weekly feature sponsored by Sally at Smiling Sally.

For today’s post I’ve chosen a lovely book which had a blue and gold dust jacket and a blue cloth cover that is sprinkled in gold. The title is The Night of the Child: Photographs from the Upper Room Museum Nativity Collection, published by the Upper Room Books in Nashville, Tennessee.

The text by Robert Benson is an amazing collection of brief essays exploring the significance of various aspects of the nativity of Jesus. It is accompanied by photographs from the nativity collection in the Upper Room Museum, located in Nashville.

Here is a quotation from the author which describes the work of creating nativity scenes.
“We have taken the essence of the story—a manger, a mother, a father, a child—wnd we do our best. We paint it on bowls and plates and canvases. We fashion it out of clay and wood and straw and glass. We sculpt it, mold it, twist it, tap it, whittle it out of something in an attempt of make a reminder for ourselves and a starting point for someone else.”

Here are a few pages from this inspiring book:


Some of my favorite photos show examples of the Baby Jesus from various sets:

The Upper Room website has this information about the musuem:
“Visitors also enjoy The Upper Room Museum, whose permanent collection reflects the international, interracial, and interdenominational nature of The Upper Room. In December and January, the museum exhibits The Night of the Child, collection of nativity scenes, with over one hundred renditions from cultures around the world.”

Enjoy more Blue Monday at Sally’s blog, Smiling Sally.

Blue Monday – Wedgwood Jasperware Nativity Ornaments

Blue Monday is sponsored by Sally at Smiling Sally.


Jasperware was the creation of Josiah Wedgwood during the eighteenth century in England. This morning I’d like to share a selection of Wedgwood ornaments from my nativity scenes collection. Most are blue with white jasperware and some are all white jasperware.

I have lots of trouble taking good photos for my posts. For example, here are the photos I took of the ornaments I want to share for today’s post. The detail got washed-out with the flash:


In order to give a better view of the ornaments, I’ve found better photos on the web for most of the items. When I can try again and suceed in producing better photos, I’ll substitute those.

First is a Wedgwood Icon Ornament. It is 3.75" high in matte blue with white relief. A matching white Wedgwood ribbon is attached. The design is an openwork ball with white figures inside - Joseph/ Mary/ Baby Jesus.

The next two are all-white round Wedgwood Jasper Collectibles ornaments. The first is titled "O Holy Night" and depicts Mary/ Baby Jesus/ Joseph and Donkey under open Stable. It has a gilt ribbon for hanging.

The second one is titled "We Three Kings" and features three kings on camels under curving palm trees.

The all-white ornament below has gold accents and a white Wedgwood ribbon for hanging. Shaped like a lantern it is approximately 4 ¼" tall and 2" square. Joseph / Baby Jesus/ Mary are seen inside a stable.

The next ornament is about 2.75 inches tall and has a blue ribbon for hanging. It shows two shepherds with sheep observing a white star above.

This ornament is a 3-inch circle of all-blue jasperware with a blue ribbon for hanging. The figure is a standing shepherd with staff and six sheep.

Last are the ornaments depicting angels... angels always add graceful presence to any nativity scene. First is a Wedgwood Jasperware Standing Angel Ornament that is 3 inches in diameter and has an openwork border:

The next two angels are in all white with relief on both sides. The first one blows a trumpet and has a blue ribbon for hanging.

The second angel is delicately embellished in gold and also blows a trumpet while carrying a branch. It has a gold cord for hanging.

To enjoy more Blue Monday posts, do visit our hostess at Smiling Sally.

Vintage Nativity Ornaments – Jewelbrite

For today's entry I thought I’d focus on two sets of 1950's vintage nativity ornaments, made of brightly colored plastic manufactured under the name Jewelbrite by Decor.

The first set is shaped like spheres. Each has an open front with a silver color background in front of which is a three-dimensional scene. The red one has 2 Shepherds and a sheep; the blue one has 2 Wise Men; and the yellow one has Mary, Joseph & Baby Jesus in the manger.

The second set has a lantern shape and also an open front with a silver color background. The green one and the blue one each has a Wise Man with Camel; and the yellow one has Mary, Joseph & Baby Jesus in the manger.

Please visit ColoradoLady for more Vintage Thingies Thursday posts.