Nativity scenes

Last year Blake "strongly encouraged" me to give away some of our Christmas decorations. We had 11 Rubbermaid containers of decor and now we have 8, still alot I know but this year I only put out my favorite things and the result is stunning, if I say so myself :) It is not overdone, but shows the Christmas spirit in each room. My favorite decoration to put out of my parents' home as a child was the family Nativity set and things have not changed. I still love my Nativities best, and have always collected Nativity scenes especially when I travel. Here are some of my favorites.

This nacimientito (in Spanish, a tiny nativity) is actually 3 ornaments, but they look so precious in the village of houses and town with the other people and buildings.

I bought this at a craft fair in Memphis years ago during the hot months of summer. The star just had to be glued again last week. It is so hard to pack each year!

My mother made these angels when I was a little girl. The nativity is a miniature Fontinani (spelling?) that she had brought me back from Rome and was blessed at John Paul II's mass.

This is one of my absolute favorites ever. I bought this Nativity in Guatemala for about 8 dollars, and I am sick I didn't buy more for gifts but I was almost out of money at that point at the end of my trip. Each figure is clothed in traditional clothing of the local Guatemalans.

Another true favorite, my dear sister bought this one for me in Mexico when we took a cruise on my 3oth birthday. I love the dotted halos Mary and Joseph are wearing as well as the tiny, adorable sheep. The picture of Jesus was drawn by my sweet neice Maddie when she spend the night over the Christmas break years ago.

This is my first "expensive" Nativity. A real Fontanini that I bought pieces at a time when I first moved out after college. I still have more pieces I want and will continue to add a bit at a time.

This nativity is the Willow Tree nativity that I have had for years. 4 Christmases ago when I lived alone and had just bought my house a year before, I had this nativity in the same spot but the mantle was not secured to the wall. In the middle of the night I heard the loudest crash and my dog was at my bedroom door hair raised barking like mad. I called Blake who lived about 30 minutes away and was scared to death, I just knew that I was about to be raped and pillaged by some crazed burglar. After much coaxing and courage, I came out to find my mantle in the tree, ornaments all around, sheep with 3 legs, shepherds without hand and staff, Wisemen minus their gifts, you name it! I still don't know how this happened but assume my cat, Fredbaby, had jumped and trampled them all together. I had a time with the super glue the next day. I still pull out the sheep every year and laugh remembering my near brush with death, or so I thought!

In Lourdes I was looking for a Nativity right after another pilgrim on our tour had our daughter, Mary Sofia speak to me through her. I only found one I liked there and gave it to my mother.

Does anyone have any Nativity sets they love and enjoy putting out every year? Do any of you have the willow tree set of a different Fontinani?