Everything you need for your nativity scene
Simple ways to set up the nativity you already have, easy projects to make one with your kids, the Christmas story behind every figure, and where to see one near you. Free, for every family and every budget.
Bethlehem · Jerusalem · NazarethBethlehem todayEvery nativity scene shows the same real place. Here’s what pilgrims find there today.- Set up who goes where, lighting, when
- Make simple projects for any budget
- The story told simply, for all ages
- Near you nativity events across the US
Pick your starting point
Set up the one you have
Whether it came from Walmart, a church sale or Grandma’s attic: where each figure goes, how to light it, and when to put out Baby Jesus.
How to set it upMake it a family project
Easy ideas for a weekend afternoon, free coloring pages, and how to tell the Christmas story to children.
Ideas for kidsUnderstand what it means
Who’s who, why an ox and a donkey, where the star comes from, and how Saint Francis started it all in 1223.
The meaning of the nativityA beautiful nativity, for little or nothing
You don’t need a big budget. A cardboard box, a string of lights, and moss or twigs from the yard go a long way. Start with one of these.
Lighting
Warm, hidden lightingSky & backdrop
Night sky, horizon, starGround & terrain
Hills, slopes, pathsMoss & plants
Moss, lichen, small shrubsMore ideas: A nativity on a budget · An outdoor nativity · A nativity in a small space · Mistakes to avoid · Build a simple stable
A nativity the whole family can enjoy
Coloring pages, the Christmas story told simply, and a first nativity you can put together in an afternoon.
Free coloring pages
Twelve pages to print and color: the Holy Family, the angel, the shepherd, the Wise Men and the animals. US Letter size.
Print the pagesExplaining it to children
How to tell the Christmas story to children, figure by figure, in words they understand.
Read the guideYour first nativity
Just a box, a backdrop, a few figures and a light: how to put together a simple first nativity.
Get startedMore for kids: A printable stand-up nativity · Easy nativity crafts · The Christmas story and a simple pageant
Gloria in excelsis Deo
“Glory to God in the highest,” the song of the angels to the shepherds (Luke 2:14)
Mary and Joseph, Baby Jesus in the manger, the ox and the donkey, the angel singing “Glory to God,” a shepherd coming up the hill with his lantern. Every nativity scene tells this same story, and has since the very first one at Greccio in 1223.
Nativity scenes across America
Living nativities on church lawns, crèche festivals, Moravian putz displays and Las Posadas. There is probably one closer than you think.
51 places in 29 states and Washington, D.C. Tap a highlighted state to see where you can visit a nativity this Christmas: museums, churches, crèche festivals, living nativities and Moravian putz displays.
Where to see one
Museums, churches, crèche festivals and putz displays across the country.
The US guideNativity events 2026–27
Living nativities, crèche festivals and Las Posadas, month by month.
See the calendarLiving nativities
Real people and animals telling the Christmas story outdoors on a winter night.
About living nativitiesChristmas markets
Holiday markets across the US, and the ones where you can find nativity figures.
US Christmas marketsAlso: Las Posadas, the nacimiento and the parol · How to organize a living nativity at your church
Nativity traditions around the world
Every culture tells the Christmas story its own way: clay santons in Provence, figures dressed in silk in Naples, carved wood in the Alps.
More traditions: Las Posadas and the parol · Mexico and Latin America · The Philippines · Louisiana · Italy · Poland · Quebec
Love the clay figures of Provence? All about santons · The santon makers · Santon fairs in Provence
800 years of nativity scenes
From a living nativity in an Italian village to the one on your mantel.
Greccio
On Christmas night, Saint Francis of Assisi sets up the first living nativity in the Italian village of Greccio.
The night at GreccioChurch nativity scenes
Carved nativity scenes spread to churches in Italy, Provence and across Europe.
Nativity scenes in churchesBethlehem, Pennsylvania
On Christmas Eve, Moravian settlers name their new town Bethlehem. Their putz, a nativity village under the tree, is still set up there today.
The Moravian putzIn every corner of America
From front yards and church lawns to living nativities and Las Posadas, the tradition keeps growing.
Find one near youHelp us make this site better
Organizing a nativity event or a Christmas market? Add it to our calendar and map. You can also send us a photo of your nativity, a correction, or a Christmas tradition from your town. Readers like you are how this site grows.
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