There is a joyful Christmas tradition taking place at the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Parish Hall this weekend. A parishioner has set up her collection of beautiful mangers for the public to come and see for the 23rd year.
We walked through and it was stunning to see the nativity sets set up, with artisans sharing the Christmas story across cultures.
The parishioner is showing 453 of her own nativity sets – and five given to her on loan. There are nativity sets from 35 states and 75 different countries, including Italy, Peru, Poland, Mexico and African countries. These are made out of an assortment of materials, from porcelain to tin to intricate wood carvings.
The parishioner has been setting up the nativity sets since 2001. She has only missed one year – 2020 – due to the pandemic.
Raised in the Philippines, she collected and played with nativity scenes as a child. After college, she traveled and collected nativity sets as special keepsakes.
By 2001, she was working in a retail position and says, “When you work in retail, you learn to hate Christmas. You can’t wait till it’s over. So I thought I would do something I would enjoy.”
That first year, she set up a few dozen nativity sets and a few other parishioners also brought theirs. “People really enjoyed it, so each year I made it bigger and bigger.”
Here is a link to the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church website, where you can learn about “In a Manger” event and enjoy their photos.
The “In a Manger’ event will be open for a second day on Sunday, Dec. 14th from noon to 4.
