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St Francis of Assisi is credited with introducing the first nativity scene to celebrate the birth of Christ. The very earliest had real people and ani- mals in tableau scenes representing the Bethlehem story. In Rome and in many Italian cities, espe- cially Naples, there are competitions for the best crib scenes and exhibitions created by local socie- ties, mainly romanti- cised rural scenes with waterfalls and mills. There are literally hun- dreds of them. Some take a contemporary theme with migrants fleeing and graffiti sprayed on walls, whilst one of the most brilliant I saw was a nativity in a 1960s television set. In Aus- tria, some villages re- enact the Christmas story with live tab- leaux like the original in Assisi. This Christmas celebration might seem more Roman Catholic and continental European, but for the past five years it has also been part of St Nicolas’ Christmas outreach.


Our own nativity scene will be erected again this year in the South porch. With my own birthday being days before December 25, Christmas has always been a key time of the year for me. I have had my family nativity manger and figures all my life and they originally belonged to my grandpar- ents. Some years ago when my parents-in-law were helping to sort through a deceased relative’s possessions, they came across a box of figures and for some reason they thought of me - not sur- prisingly as it was an identical set to mine. What


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Dec 2017 - Jan 2018


Competitive Cribs Andrew Coker


to do with a second set? The St Nicolas’ south porch scene was born.


St Nicolas’ Christmas Crib


It will be back in place for the patronal feast and timed to switch on at 3.30pm with lights and now heavenly choirs, or at least heavenly CDs. The music and lights go on at this time after observing parents walking past the church collecting their children from school. To an adult it may seem low to the ground, but it is de- signed to be seen clearly from push- chairs. Creating it each year is a real treat, be- cause of the lovely comments from parents and children. One ob- servant and geographi- cally aware parent no- ticed the Magi were walking in the wrong


direction - west to east! That mistake won’t be made again, even if I did try to post-rationalise, claiming it was there as a test! No, it was a genu- ine mistake.


One of the nice synergies is the origin of the fig- ures. They belonged to Bowles relatives. The Bowles family have a long history with St Nico- las. The window of the saint was given in mem- ory of a member of the family, and another left money for a readership, still enjoyed to this day.


Please take a look when you are passing and bring younger children. They all seem to enjoy the fa- miliar story being retold and no doubt the antici- pation of the arrival of Santa Claus, the patron of our little church.


Answers to November’s Down Town Quiz by Rod Hunt


21 Sandwich 22 Fishguard 23 Marlow 24 Ramsgate 25 Crawley 26 Rugby 27 Neath 28 Selby 29 Oldham 30 Doncaster


31 Cardigan 32 Minehead 33 Potters Bar 34 Barking 35 Taplow 36 Sevenoaks 37 Broadstairs 38 Nuneaton 39 Bangor 40 Crewe


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