A Nativity Scene on a Budget: Ideas for $0, $10 and $25

Start with the Holy Family: Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus in a manger. That’s a complete nativity. Then, if you can, add:

• A shelter. A stable, a cave, or simply a box turned on its side.
• A little light. One small warm light makes any scene look special at night.
• A few visitors. A shepherd, a sheep, the ox and the donkey, the angel. The Wise Men can come later. Traditionally they arrive on the Feast of the Epiphany.

Not sure where everything goes? See how to set up a nativity scene.

• Print the figures. Our printable nativity has stand-up figures and a fold-up stable, free, in US Letter size. Cardstock is sturdier, but regular printer paper works.
• Make a stable from a box. A shoebox or a small shipping box on its side is a ready-made stable. Fold the top flaps into a sloped roof, or leave them as they are. A brown paper bag, crumpled and smoothed out, looks like old wood when you glue it on.
• Bring in the outdoors. Twigs, pinecones, bark, small stones and dry grass make the ground, the fence and the hay. Let anything from outside dry for a day or two first.
• Use a cloth. A brown or green dish towel bunched up makes hills. A dark blue scarf or T-shirt behind the scene makes a night sky.
• Light it with what you have. Tuck a string of Christmas lights behind the box, or use a battery tea light. Never put a real candle inside a paper or cardboard scene.
• Look around the house. Wooden blocks, a toy farm set, even clothespins can stand in for figures. Kids love deciding who is who.

• Walmart. When we checked, a basic 8-piece clear plastic nativity was $8.67 and a small white resin set $10.99 (Walmart nativity sets). Tiny “pocket” nativities in a tin start around $4.58, a nice stocking stuffer.
• Hobby Lobby on sale. Hobby Lobby often takes 50% off Christmas decor in the fall. When we checked, a small wood nativity scene was $6.99 instead of $13.99, and a Holy Family figurine $5.99 (Hobby Lobby nativity sets).
• Dollar Tree. Most items are $1.25 (prices explained). Crafty families make a whole nativity from its wooden blocks, beads and clothespins (one example).

Add a 50-count warm white battery LED string (about $6 at Walmart) and you have a lit scene for well under $20.

• A ceramic set. Target’s Wondershop line had an 8-piece ceramic nativity for $20 (Target). At Walmart, an 11-piece porcelain set was $13.92.
• Build the stable. A sheet of poster board costs under a dollar at Walmart. With a cardboard box, white glue and some brown paint you have a stable. Our stable guide walks you through it.
• Make your own figures. A 2.5-pound tub of Crayola Air-Dry Clay was $6.67 at Walmart. That’s plenty for a Holy Family and a small flock of sheep. See nativity crafts for kids.
• Add greenery. A bag of Spanish moss was $8.99 at Michaels, or use moss and twigs from the yard for free.

Thrift stores and church rummage sales

Nativity sets turn up all year, often for a few dollars, sometimes with a missing figure or a chip. A little glue and paint fixes most of them. See how to fix an old nativity set.

After-Christmas sales

Prices drop sharply the week after Christmas. It’s the best time to buy next year’s set or add a figure.

Facebook Marketplace and estate sales

Good for older sets, including painted plaster (“chalkware”) sets from the 1940s and 1950s. Ask about chips and missing pieces before you drive over.

Sets you add to over the years

Fontanini and Willow Tree sell starter sets and single figures, so many families add one figure every Christmas. They cost more: a 3-piece Fontanini 5-inch starter set with stable was $178.99 at Roman, and Willow Tree’s classic 6-piece nativity $110 at Willow Tree. Single Fontanini figures start around $32. Watch for sales.

• Start small and add one figure a year. The Holy Family first, then a shepherd, a sheep, a Wise Man. It turns into a family tradition.
• Pick one size and stay with it, so the figures you add later match. Figures 3 to 5 inches tall fit most shelves and mantels.
• Shop the sales. Fall sales at craft stores and the week after Christmas are the cheapest times of the year.
• Share. Swap figures with friends, and pass your old set to a young family when you replace it.

• Use LED lights only in paper and cardboard scenes. No candles.
• Small figures and loose stones are a choking hazard for toddlers. Keep the scene up high, or choose bigger, sturdier pieces.
• Store paper figures flat in a large envelope or a clean pizza box, so you can use them again next year.