Lenox Jewels Nativity Set

 

I started collecting this nativity set about 10 years ago.  I had always wanted a nativity set of my own.  We had a beautiful one growing up. It was a ceramic set that Grandmother painted.  Bill has that set now.  Even though I would have loved to have it, I thought it only fair that if he wanted it, he should have it.  I have so many beautiful ceramic pieces that Grandmother painted specifically for me that I could let go of that.  Still, it is a beautiful set and holds many precious memories.  Still, I wanted one of my own.  I remembered seeing these pieces in gift shops and always thought they were wonderful.

I set out to build up my own set.  I did not want to buy an entire set at once because that would have been thousands of dollars.  There are so many pieces to this set.  So, I started small and am building my way to a complete set.  I started with the essentials:  Jesus, Mary & Joseph.  Oddly, while these are the most important pieces in the story of the nativity, they are also the cheapest to buy and easiest to find.  By the first Christmas I was displaying the nativity, I had acquired them along with the three kings.  It was small but simple.

Over the years, I have added a piece or two each year.  Sometimes I would get a piece for a Christmas or birthday present.  Thank you, Michael, for the camel! I cherish this set and enjoy finding pieces each year to add to it.  I have not gotten one yet this year but it's still early.  Like I said, there are so many pieces out there.  Many of the pieces are on the expensive side, so I have to find good sales, mostly on Ebay.  I don't mind if they are in their original box or not.  While I would prefer that, it is not necessary because it bumps the price up!!  But there are pieces like the camel master, the perfume seller and the woman with urn that are on my bucket list but like I said, they are on the higher end of the price range.

Woman with Urn - Not in my collection...yet!

Anyway, I love putting this on display.  You will see pictures here over the years of the different places I have put the set out.  And I love the tradition of having this set and adding to it piece by piece.  I'm making my own Christmas memories!