ARLINGTON, Va. (RNS) — For James Govan, Christmas starts before Thanksgiving and doesn’t end until early in February as he displays some of his 500 nativity scenes around his home in Arlington, Va.
“I keep telling people it’s a disease without a cure,” he jokes.
One of the many creches from the collection of James Govan of Arlington. Govan's large collection is not only on display in his home but is also shown around the county. (Religion News Service photo by Nick Kirkpatrick.)
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For fans like Govan, creche collecting is serious business — with a biennial national convention, commissioned works of art, online shopping and collections displayed in churches and museums each year.
Govan was the first president of Friends of the Creche, an organization of some 400 members that was founded in — of course — Bethlehem, Pa., a decade ago. Members range from large-scale collectors who’ve amassed hundreds of nativity scenes to those who have one or two but are simply fascinated with the way they tell the story of the birth of Jesus. Prices can range anywhere from a few dollars for plastic nativity scenes to hundreds for a single figure.
“I think very clearly it takes on a special meaning because of the belief, the devotion that people have to the tradition and what it means to their faith,” said Govan, a Roman Catholic who enlarged his collection as he worked around the world for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
James Govan
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Judy Davis, an El Cerrito, Calif., housewife, has about as many nativity sets as Govan. She collected them over the years as she traveled with her husband from Appalachia to Portugal, spending an (undisclosed) amount she considers “sinful in a not totally bad way.”
Davis, an Episcopalian, has a special fondness for Southwestern nativity sets, including some that show the gifts of the wise men as a pair of boots, a tray of turquoise and a little rug — rather than the traditional gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Charlie Hull’s collection of 325 nativities includes a Peruvian creche with figures inside a closable gourd. Another depicts Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus inside a literal “house of bread,” which is the English translation of “Bethlehem.”
“Each person sees the birth of Christ in their own particular culture,” said Hull, a retired United Church of Christ pastor who lives in Seven Valleys, Pa.
The location of the artist is often a draw for collectors’ purchases, said Shaunna Baganz, owner of the Wisconsin-based Nativity Set Store. And the tough economy has not slowed customers, who tend to purchase 5-inch figures in the $20 range rather than a $4,000, 50-inch wise man.
“With the economy being as it is, we see more people going toward religion than away from religion,” she said, noting a “double-digit” percentage increase from last year’s sales.
The University of Dayton Marian Library in Ohio has one of the largest collections of nativities in the country — with more than 3,000 — but its director takes a cautious approach, usually exhibiting a maximum of 50 at a time.
“One of the important aspects in this whole venture is we don’t want to exhibit creches for the sake of just putting seven or eight figures on a tablecloth,” said Johann Roten, who said too many Nativity scenes can become “counterproductive.”
One of James Govan’s creches. (Religion News Service photo by Nick Kirkpatrick.)
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Differing views on nativities date back centuries, says Bruce David Forbes, professor of religious studies at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. Legend credits 13th-century St. Francis of Assisi with creating the first Nativity scene; in the late Middle Ages, Europeans in France, Spain and Italy tended to have creches, while northern Europeans opted more for the Christmas tree.
Forbes, author of a history book on Christmas and co-editor of Religion and Popular Culture in America, said nativity scenes allow people to express their spiritual beliefs in a tangible, highly personalized way.
“It’s a combination of art and Christian celebration because while a lot of the nativity scenes are kitsch, a number of them are incredible carvings in many different forms,” he said. “If you’re interested in art and, let’s say, Scripture, what could give you more variety than this — stone, wood, carving, metal sculptures, ceramics?”
The Washington National Cathedral’s annual creche exhibit, which attracts thousands each year, began with a collection donated by a former docent. It’s now grown to more than 700 pieces, with a hundred of them shown this year.
Some 35,000 people annually visit “El Nacimiento,” an 800-figurine display at the Tucson Museum of Art. The 32-year-old exhibit includes a Nativity scene, other biblical stories and scenes with Mexican villagers, created as a tribute to the mother of the collector.
“I know some people who love to bring their children, and because we’ve been having this for so many years, we’re seeing children’s children here now,” said museum spokeswoman Meredith Hayes. “It’s become very much a family tradition.”