Care and repair

How to Fix and Care for an Old Nativity Set

Glue a broken figure, fill a chip, touch up worn paint, clean resin, porcelain and plaster safely, and store the set so it lasts another fifty Christmases.

An old nativity set often means more to a family than anything else that comes out of the Christmas boxes: the shepherd with the chipped hat, the camel Grandpa glued back together. This page shows you how to repair breaks and chips, touch up paint, clean each kind of figure, and store the set so it’s ready for the next generation.

For santons, the clay figures from Provence, see our separate guide to santon care and storage.

First, what is it made of?

The material decides the repair
Resin (polyresin)
Most sets sold today, including Willow Tree. Heavy for its size, with a smooth, slightly waxy feel. A chip shows a solid off-white core.
Porcelain and glazed ceramic
Shiny, cool to the touch, rings when you tap it gently. Broken edges show fine white clay under the glaze.
Chalkware (painted plaster)
Very common in American homes in the 1940s and 1950s, when brightly painted plaster sets were imported from Italy. Light, chalky on the bottom, and it chips easily. Plaster is fragile, and any metal wire inside can rust and crack it (Yale MAVCOR).
Hard plastic and blow molds
Sets from the 1960s on. Light, hollow, and tough, but the paint wears off.
Wood
Carved olive wood from Bethlehem, or painted wooden sets. Treat it like fine furniture.
Fontanini
Hand-painted figures made in Italy from a durable polymer. Single replacement figures are sold for almost every piece.

Before you fix anything

Is it old or valuable?

Almost every household glue is permanent. If a set is antique, valuable, or a family treasure you don’t want to risk, talk to a professional before you glue it. The American Institute for Conservation has a directory of conservators you can search. Don’t try to undo old repairs yourself, either (National Park Service).

For an everyday set, a careful home repair is fine, and much better than leaving a broken figure in the box.

Gluing a break

The right glue for each material
  • Resin, porcelain and ceramic: clear two-part epoxy. It’s strong and fills small gaps. Willow Tree itself recommends a small amount of two-part epoxy for its resin figures (Willow Tree FAQ). “Super glue” works for a tiny chip on a glazed piece, but it’s brittle and holds poorly on unglazed or porous surfaces (Lakeside Pottery).
  • Wood: ordinary wood glue (the yellow or white kind).
  • Chalkware: epoxy works on everyday pieces. For an old or valuable plaster set, a specialist is the safer choice (Canadian Conservation Institute).
  • Skip hot glue for anything but a quick, temporary fix. It lets go in the cold and leaves a lump.

  1. Clean and dry

    Brush off dust and old flakes of glue. Both edges must be clean and completely dry.

  2. Dry-fit

    Hold the pieces together without glue to see exactly how they meet.

  3. Glue thinly

    Mix the epoxy and put a thin layer on one edge only. Too much glue squeezes out and leaves a visible line.

  4. Hold it

    Press the pieces together and hold them with painter’s tape or rubber bands, or stand the figure in a bowl of rice or sand so the joint stays put.

  5. Clean up and wait

    Wipe away any extra glue before it sets, then leave the figure alone for a full day.

Filling chips

Make a missing nose or fingertip disappear

Fill a chip with two-part epoxy putty (sold in hardware stores as a small stick you knead). Press it into the chip, shape it with a damp finger or a toothpick, and let it harden. Sand it smooth with fine sandpaper, then paint it to match (step-by-step photos). For a missing piece like a staff or a lamb’s ear, you can sculpt a new one from the same putty or from air-dry clay.

Touching up paint

Match it, don’t redo it
  • Use acrylic craft paint and a small, fine brush.
  • Mix the color on a scrap of paper and test it on the bottom of the figure first. Paint dries slightly darker.
  • Paint only the worn or repaired spot, in thin layers.
  • On a shiny figure, finish with a dab of gloss varnish; on a matte one, matte varnish.
  • On an old or collectible set, keep touch-ups small. Repainting whole faces and robes lowers the value and changes the look your family remembers.

Replacing a missing figure

The lost Baby Jesus problem
  • Same brand: Fontanini and Willow Tree sell single figures, so a lost piece can usually be replaced.
  • Thrift stores and online resale: look for the same maker and size. Bring a figure along to compare the height.
  • Make one: a Baby Jesus from air-dry clay, painted to match, can become part of the family story. See our nativity crafts.

Cleaning

Dust, don’t soak
  • Every kind: dust with a soft, dry brush (a clean makeup brush works well).
  • Resin and glazed ceramic: if you need to, wipe with a barely damp soft cloth and dry it right away. Willow Tree recommends dusting only, no water, for its figures.
  • Chalkware: dry brush only. Bare plaster soaks up water and gets stains and tide lines (CCI).
  • Never soak painted, repaired or unglazed pieces, and keep them out of the dishwasher (History Nebraska).

Storing it for next year

Where the damage really happens
  • Not in the attic or garage. Heat, cold and damp crack paint and plaster. A closet shelf or under a bed is better. The ideal is below 72°F and fairly dry (History Nebraska suggests 30 to 50 percent humidity).
  • Wrap each figure in acid-free tissue paper, not newspaper, which stains.
  • Pad the box and don’t stack figures on top of each other (CCI guidelines).
  • Keep the small pieces together: Baby Jesus, the lamb and the gifts in a labeled zipper bag.
  • Label the box and keep a phone photo of the whole set, so you can see at a glance what’s there next December (Gaylord Archival).

Write the story down. A card in the box saying who bought the set, when, and which figure was glued after which Christmas will mean a lot to whoever unpacks it in thirty years.