Nativity Display

In Arizona, I am used to going to see the Christmas lights every year, but the temple here is very small and the temple grounds are even smaller, thus no lights. However, one of the stakes here puts on a huge nativity display every year with nativity sets from around the world. There are about 700 nativities on display. For a few of the sets, there were explanations of where they came from and the story behind them: one made from the red clay in Paraguay, one made from wire by a teenage girl, one made from all recycled materials, one made from pine cones, sticks and leaves, big displays, small displays and too many more to describe. It was very impressive!



As a side note, I discovered I prefer nativities with people in them, not animals or other objects. The animals that are supposed to be there (stable animals) are fine, but not random other animals. For example, there were multiple nativities with bears, and bears only. Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, shepherds (you get the point) were all bears. Some of the other ones that struck me as odd were a reptile nativity and a penguin nativity. There was even a nativity made with "Smores" ingredients. Mary was made with two decorated, stacked marshmallows on top of chocolate and graham crackers. (I am not kidding!) Luckily, all the amazing displays outweighed the odd ones.