Make a DIY Nativity Scene

Nativity scenes are so popular in home decor during Christmas, but many of us just cannot seem to find one that we like in particular. There is an alternative. You can choose to make your own. This will take a couple of hours but be well worth it.

Here is a list of items to buy that will make it easier for you.

Characters:
Beby Jesus
Mary
Joseph
A shepherd or two with a few sheep
Wise men (however many you want)
1/2″ wood about 6″ wide and probably no longer than six feet depending on how big the characters are
linchen or moss from a hobby store for the floor of the nativity

Wow! That seems simple. You can buy paint or stain to finsh the wood out. You can have the structure as simple as four pieces; two sides, a flat roof, and the base floor. Once the wood is painted or stained, let it dry before glueing down the moss. Before you cut the wood, layout the characters where you want them and measure out the area they will occupy. That way you will not cut the floor too short. If you need wider wood then do your layout before buying the other materials.

I have seen at www.preciousmoments.com a few select pieces that would go well with your nativity scene. You will spend a bit of money on them, but they will become treasures for your family in the future. Here is a link to them.

http://www.preciousmoments.com/content.cfm/shop_results?ptid=5&poid=3&amtid=1&pkid=&psid=&vall=1

You can buy them elsewhere, or if you decide, you can try to make your own. A couple of carving tools and some plaster will get you started. You can them paint them however you want.

Other ideas for your nativity scene are to have angels, farm animals, and landscaping. You could make cutouts of angels from posterboard and put them up on the wall above the nativity scene as well as the star that the wise men followed to find baby Jesus. You could take it further and have a scene of the village out in the distance, also cut out of posterboard. Hobby stores have bags of farm animals which would add some depth to the scene. Although it will look odd to have a two inch tall cow standing next to a five in tall Joseph. You may want to take your figurine with you to make sure you get the right size of animals.

The landscaping wasn’t much then. Probably some rocks, a few bushes and one or two trees would be all you need. If you want to be authentic, then you can look them up online to see if you are purchasing the right kind. Too much detail will either take away from the overall scene or enhance it. Think it all through before you start making your purchases, and make of list of the bare essentials you will need.

If you have a strict budget, you may need to find alternative materials to make your nativity scene.