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The Nativity Scenethenativityscene.com

Start here

  • How to set up a nativity scene
  • When to set it up
  • Your first nativity
  • A nativity in a small space
  • Mistakes to avoid
  • Outdoor nativity

Light it

  • Lighting
  • Wiring and safety
  • Sky and backdrop

Your figures

  • Who’s who in the nativity
  • Figure sizes
  • Care and storage
  • Fixing an old set
  • The family nativity
  • The church nativity
How to set up a nativity sceneWhere each figure goes, from the stable to the Wise Men.Read the guide →
GlossaryFAQVideosShare your nativityWrite to us

Getting started

  • The complete guide
  • A nativity on a budget
  • Outdoor nativity
  • The base and structure
  • Perspective and depth

Figures

  • Painting figures
  • Making your own figures

Landscape

  • Ground and terrain
  • Rivers and streams
  • The bridge
  • The fountain
  • Moss and greenery
  • Trees and olive trees
  • Snow

The village

  • The stable
  • Village houses
  • Roofs and tiles
  • The stone wall
  • Stairs and lanes
  • Well and mill
  • Patina and aging
Twenty step-by-step guidesFrom a cardboard box to the last touch of light, step by step.See all the guides →
GlossaryFAQVideosShare your nativityWrite to us

For children

  • Explaining it to children
  • The Christmas story for kids
  • Free coloring pages
  • Printable nativity
  • Nativity crafts
  • Videos

As a family

  • The family nativity
  • Praying before the nativity
  • When to put out Baby Jesus
  • A simple pageant

Share

  • Share your nativity
  • The nativity newsletter
Free coloring pagesTwelve pages to print at home, in US Letter size.Print the pages →
GlossaryFAQVideosShare your nativityWrite to us

The story

  • The Nativity accounts
  • Gloria in excelsis Deo
  • The nativity and the Church
  • Praying before the nativity

Who’s who

  • All the symbols
  • Mary
  • Joseph
  • The Infant Jesus
  • The angel
  • The ox and the donkey
  • Cave or stable?
  • The Star of Bethlehem
  • The Wise Men

History

  • History of the nativity scene
  • Greccio, 1223
  • Saint Francis of Assisi
  • The oldest nativity scene
  • The saints and the nativity
  • The churches and the nativity
GGreccio, Christmas 1223The night Saint Francis set up the first nativity.Read the story →
GlossaryFAQVideosShare your nativityWrite to us

In the United States

  • Where to see one in the US
  • Nativity events 2026–27
  • Living nativities
  • Organize a living nativity
  • US Christmas markets
  • Las Posadas
  • + Add your event (free)

Around the world

  • Where to see nativity scenes
  • In the Holy Land
  • In Italy
  • In France
  • The great shrines

Markets and fairs

  • Christmas markets in France
  • Markets around the world
  • Nativity fairs worldwide
NATIVITYNativity events 2026–27Living nativities, crèche festivals and Las Posadas, month by month.See the calendar →
GlossaryFAQVideosShare your nativityWrite to us

Styles

  • All the styles
  • The Provençal crèche
  • The Neapolitan presepio
  • The mountain nativity

By country

  • All the traditions
  • Las Posadas and the parol
  • Mexico and Latin America
  • The Philippines
  • Louisiana
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Poland
  • Quebec
  • Germany and Austria

Santons of Provence

  • All about santons
  • The characters
  • Where to buy santons
  • Santon makers
  • Santon maker directory
  • Santon fairs
The Provençal nativitySantons, village and hills: the tradition of southern France.Discover →
GlossaryFAQVideosShare your nativityWrite to us
Menu
+ Add your eventShare your nativityJoin the newsletter
Set up

Start here

How to set up a nativity sceneWhen to set it upYour first nativityA nativity in a small spaceMistakes to avoidOutdoor nativity

Light it

LightingWiring and safetySky and backdrop

Your figures

Who’s who in the nativityFigure sizesCare and storageFixing an old setThe family nativityThe church nativity
Make

Getting started

The complete guideA nativity on a budgetOutdoor nativityThe base and structurePerspective and depth

Figures

Painting figuresMaking your own figures

Landscape

Ground and terrainRivers and streamsThe bridgeThe fountainMoss and greeneryTrees and olive treesSnow

The village

The stableVillage housesRoofs and tilesThe stone wallStairs and lanesWell and millPatina and aging
Kids

For children

Explaining it to childrenThe Christmas story for kidsFree coloring pagesPrintable nativityNativity craftsVideos

As a family

The family nativityPraying before the nativityWhen to put out Baby JesusA simple pageant

Share

Share your nativityThe nativity newsletter
Meaning

The story

The Nativity accountsGloria in excelsis DeoThe nativity and the ChurchPraying before the nativity

Who’s who

All the symbolsMaryJosephThe Infant JesusThe angelThe ox and the donkeyCave or stable?The Star of BethlehemThe Wise Men

History

History of the nativity sceneGreccio, 1223Saint Francis of AssisiThe oldest nativity sceneThe saints and the nativityThe churches and the nativity
Near you

In the United States

Where to see one in the USNativity events 2026–27Living nativitiesOrganize a living nativityUS Christmas marketsLas Posadas+ Add your event (free)

Around the world

Where to see nativity scenesIn the Holy LandIn ItalyIn FranceThe great shrines

Markets and fairs

Christmas markets in FranceMarkets around the worldNativity fairs worldwide
Traditions

Styles

All the stylesThe Provençal crècheThe Neapolitan presepioThe mountain nativity

By country

All the traditionsLas Posadas and the parolMexico and Latin AmericaThe PhilippinesLouisianaItalySpainPolandQuebecGermany and Austria

Santons of Provence

All about santonsThe charactersWhere to buy santonsSanton makersSanton maker directorySanton fairs
GlossaryFAQVideosWrite to us
Add yours Subscribe
Home › Terms of Use

LEGAL

Terms of Use

This page identifies who publishes this website, what you may and may not do with its contents, and the terms on which it is made available.

Contents

  1. Publisher
  2. About this website
  3. No professional advice
  4. Content and intellectual property
  5. The santon maker directory
  6. Material you send us
  7. Links to other websites
  8. Disclaimer and limitation of liability
  9. Copyright complaints
  10. Governing law

Publisher

Company La Crèche de Noël LLC
Address 30 N Gould St Ste R
Sheridan, WY 82801
United States
Contact [email protected]
Website thenativityscene.com

La Crèche de Noël LLC is a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States. All correspondence about this website, including corrections, takedown requests and directory listings, should go to the address above.

About this website

The Nativity Scene is an independent editorial website about the Christmas nativity scene — how to build one, the santon figurines that populate it, and the traditions attached to it around the world.

It is written in English for readers in the United States and throughout the English-speaking world. It is the English-language edition of La Crèche de Noël, the French website published by the same company.

The site is independent. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or commissioned by any santon maker, retailer, museum, association or public body named on it.

No professional advice

The guides on this site describe craft techniques and are offered for general information only. Several involve cutting tools, adhesives, solvents, paints, water and low-voltage electrical components. Follow the safety instructions supplied with the products you use, supervise children, and use your own judgment. Nothing here is professional, safety, legal or financial advice.

Content and intellectual property

The text, page structure, drawings, layout, name and logo of this website are © La Crèche de Noël LLC, all rights reserved. You may quote short passages with a visible link back. You may not republish substantial portions, reproduce the guides in whole, or use the content to train commercial datasets without written permission.

Photographs supplied by third parties are used under Creative Commons licenses or are in the public domain. The license and the photographer are credited directly beneath each photograph. Those images remain subject to their own licenses, not to the terms above.

Names of studios, brands and trademarks appearing on the site belong to their respective owners and are used for identification and editorial purposes only.

The santon maker directory

Listings in the santon maker directory are editorial and free. No studio pays to appear, no placement can be bought, and inclusion is not an endorsement of any business. Entries are compiled from public sources and verified before publication.

If you are listed and something is wrong — a town, a website, a closure — or if you would rather not be listed at all, write to [email protected] and it will be corrected or removed.

Material you send us

If you send photographs, a directory entry or a message, you confirm that you own the material or otherwise have the right to share it, and you grant La Crèche de Noël LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to display it on this website and its associated social accounts, with your first name where you have provided one.

You keep ownership of everything you send. You can ask for it to be taken down at any time by writing to [email protected]. We may decline or remove submissions at our discretion.

Links to other websites

This site links to studios, museums, videos and other outside pages. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content, their products, their availability or their privacy practices. A link is not an endorsement.

Disclaimer and limitation of liability

This website is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted, error-free or free of harmful components, or that the information on it is complete or current.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, La Crèche de Noël LLC will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, profits or goodwill, arising out of your use of this website or your reliance on anything published here. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this paragraph may not apply to you.

Copyright complaints

If you believe material on this site infringes your copyright, write to [email protected] with the information required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3): identification of the work, identification of the material and its location on this site, your contact details, a statement of good-faith belief that the use is unauthorized, a statement that your notice is accurate, and your signature. Valid notices are acted on promptly.

Governing law

These terms and any dispute arising from this website are governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. The courts located in Sheridan County, Wyoming shall have exclusive jurisdiction, except where mandatory consumer-protection law in your country of residence gives you the right to bring proceedings elsewhere.

Changes to this notice

We may update this page as the site changes. The date below records the current version. Material changes affecting people who have written to us or subscribed will be communicated by email.

Last updated: August 19, 2026.

Questions about privacy and personal data are answered separately in the Privacy Policy.

Privacy PolicyWhat we collect, and what we don’tContact usA question or a correctionAboutWhat this site does

✦Praying before the nativityBlessing, welcoming, praying as a family+Add your eventFree listing on our map and calendar✦Nativity events near youThe 2026–27 calendar✦Printable coloring pagesFor kids, US Letter PDF
The Nativity Scene

thenativityscene.com

A free guide to the nativity scene for every family: setting it up, making it with your kids, understanding the story, and finding one near you.

[email protected]

Set up

  • How to set up a nativity scene
  • When to set it up
  • Your first nativity
  • A nativity in a small space
  • Lighting
  • Mistakes to avoid
  • Fixing an old set
  • Care and storage

Make

  • The complete guide
  • A nativity on a budget
  • Outdoor nativity
  • The stable
  • Ground and terrain
  • Sky and backdrop
  • Moss and greenery
  • Village houses
  • A stone wall
  • A bridge
  • Snow

Kids & family

  • Explaining it to children
  • The Christmas story
  • Coloring pages
  • Printable nativity
  • Nativity crafts
  • Videos
  • The family nativity
  • Praying before the nativity
  • Share your nativity

Meaning

  • The Nativity accounts
  • Nativity symbolism
  • The Wise Men
  • The Star of Bethlehem
  • Gloria in excelsis Deo
  • History of the nativity scene
  • Greccio, 1223
  • Glossary
  • FAQ

Near you

  • Where to see one in the US
  • Nativity events 2026–27
  • Living nativities
  • Organize a living nativity
  • US Christmas markets
  • Add your event
  • Around the world
  • The Holy Land
  • Markets around the world

Traditions

  • Nativity traditions
  • Las Posadas and the parol
  • Mexico and Latin America
  • The Philippines
  • Italy
  • The Neapolitan presepio
  • The Provençal crèche
  • All about santons
  • Santon makers
  • Santon fairs
  • Nativity associations
© 2026 The Nativity Scene · thenativityscene.com — an independent guide, the English edition of La Crèche de Noël.About · Terms of Use · Privacy
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