Crèche exhibit returns to Follow the Star in 2012
Tracy Bodily never had any intention of collecting nativity sets (crèches) until her friend, Jennie Brazel, a devoted collector, suggested that she start. Mrs. Bodily said, “I just didn’t see the need for it until about ten years ago. I then realized I wanted my children to have a crèche they could actually touch. That was what started it all.” Mrs. Bodily went to work creating a traditional crèche with fabric and stuffing. She decided to put Mary, Joseph, the baby, the animals, the shepherds and the wise men surrounding a picnic basket, which would serve as the manger.
This year Mrs. Bodily finished a crèche that was quite unusual. Mrs. Bodily said, “Ms. Brazel had always joked about creating a crèche where Mary looked exhausted and Joseph had extremely large hands. I took it as my personal task and decided I could do that. I had Mary, Joseph and the baby done years ago, but it didn’t really look like the nativity without an angel and some animals. Just this week I finished creating the sheep, the chicken, and the angel.” Such a bizarre crèche might not be what you picture at the traditional first Christmas but that is what seems to make the crèche exhibit so popular. Nativity sets for 2012 will include crèches from all around the world including a crèche the size of a pin, puppet sets, and even a pinecone crèche.
Ms. Brazel was more than just a devoted collector and friend. Ms. Brazel and Mrs. Bodily worked together with Judy Goodfellow, another devoted collector, to create the local crèche exhibit every December in Rancho Santa Margarita. Since 2001, Follow the Star, A Living Nativity, has included the crèche exhibit right before the outside nativity presentation with actors and live animals. Well that was true until 2011 when Ms. Brazel, the original crèche collector, moved to Texas. “We were so concerned about not having the crèche exhibit in 2011, that we decided to serve cookies and hot chocolate before the living nativity,” said Ken Gibson, former Public Affairs Director for the Santa Margarita Stake from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During that 2011 Follow the Star, Lori George, assistant to Ken Gibson, said “family after family asked me why the crèche show wasn’t part of the living nativity. This year we just had to come up with a plan to bring the crèche exhibit back to Follow the Star.”
Bringing the crèche exhibit back was the plan for the 2012 committee for Follow the Star. The first step was to contact Mrs. Goodfellow, one of the two major crèche collectors that helped with the exhibit. Ms. Goodfellow said, “I am in my golden years so this is not something I can do year after year. I am happy to help in 2012 and to keep doing it as long as I am healthy, but we really want those in the RSM and surrounding areas that have crèche collections to come forward so that we can continue this beautiful community tradition.” If you are interested in displaying your crèche for 2013 please email Tracy Bodily at mbodily@cox.net
The Follow the Star program and crèche exhibit will be open to the public on Friday, December 7th through Sunday December 9th with shows starting as early as 6:00 P.M. with the last show starting at 8:30 P.M. For map and directions see http://www.thelivingnativity.org
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Karen Lake
