Like so many things, Helen Holder’s collection of the Nativity started with just one — a simple scene she created in 1968 using origami.

Similar to that first scene, Holder had another simple idea of just buying one every year.

To date, her collection has 930  Nativity scenes, so it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that it went well beyond one a year.

“I said to myself that every year I would buy myself a new one,” Holder said through a growing smile. “But once you start looking …  there are just so many.”

To walk into the Holder’s house is akin to walking into an art gallery.

There are Nativity scenes everywhere, ranging in size and style as well as country of origin. On a coffee table there is a Nativity from Nigeria next to a more traditional set one might find in most any store here in the United States.

There are Nativites that hang from the walls, perched on a piano or a bookcase. Everywhere you look is a new vision of an old story depicting the birth of Jesus Christ, surrounded by Mary and Joseph, the animals of the manger and wise men who came from far off lands.

“All of the different varieties and ideas people have, it says to me that Jesus came for everybody,” Holder explained.

The Nativity was first staged in 1223 by St. Francis of Assisi, who sought permission from Pope Honorious III to reflect the Nativity how we see it today. It was a manger scene complete with live animals, according to the Franciscan monk St. Bonaventure, who is thought of as writing down the only historical account of St. Francis’ Nativity.

It was used in companion to St. Francis’ preaching of the birth of Christ.

However, for those who study the Bible, they may notice that the Nativity we see today isn’t exactly how the Bible relates it. Of the four gospels in the New Testament, only Matthew and Luke talk of the birth.

In Matthew’s account are the wisemen, while Luke speaks of shepherds only, but they are never mentioned as being together anywhere else in the Bible. It also doesn’t mention the various animals that would have been kept in the stables.

But for Holder, much of what the Nativity relates is spiritual. 

“There is a lot of tradition mixed in to Nativities,” Holder explained. “The historical part isn’t really the important part. The idea is to make it a personal thing.”

The collection

It takes a lot to store 930 Nativity scenes. It requires 102 containers to be precise.

The collection takes on average three weeks to set up. Helen’s husband, Bill, will bring a small number of containers up at a time, returning them to the basement after Helen has removed and placed the scenes.

Of these scenes, 50 are from different countries, though they are not all ethnically representative of those countries. The smallest Jesus of the collection is part of a scene that was carved into a watermelon seed, while the largest is two feet tall.

Helen’s collection has grown with scenes purchased from traveling, stores, catalogs and auctions, just to name a few.

She also gets more than a few from friends who know of her collection.

“A lot of people think of us,” Helen said. “It’s really amazing what people find.”

Holder does admit the unpacking of over 900 Nativity scenes is a balancing act sometimes. 

“The boxes are put out and some things go in the same place, others go where I have space,” she said. 

While the collection officially started in 1968, Holder didn’t recognize it as a true hobby until 1970, when she spent nearly $200 for a set.

“When I spent $180 for the Hummel set in 1970, I decided this would be my hobby,” she said.

But amongst all of these in her collection, there is one that stands out among the rest.

One year Holder assigned members of her family a part of the Nativity for them to draw or create.They were then assembled to give a real family feel to the scene.

“… everybody has a piece,” Holder said with a broad smile.

Open to the public

The idea of opening the collection to the public wasn’t in the plans at first. In those early days, the Holders only invited friends over to see the collection, but as interest grew, the couple decided they could do some good by letting people come tour the Nativity scenes.

The first year was in 2002, on the same night as Christmas in the City. For a small donation of $1, the public could take the tour. All the money from the donations goes to the Salvation Army.

As people take in the enormous collection, Holder starts to notice certain reactions, and in that she finds the most joy.

“The fun part is different sets trigger memories of their own Christmas,” Holder said. “It’s interesting to see which ones capture their attention.”

This year, Helen said that all of the Nativity scenes should be up by Nov. 16. People who wish to visit the home and her collections should call 1-507-433-2643 and have that dollar bill ready.

Reason for the season

Helen and her husband care a lot about the Nativity, not just as a collection or hobby, but a as a sign of faith. Helen herself is current secretary of Friends of the Crèche, a group dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the crèche (French for “cradle”) tradition.

Having a Nativity in the house at Christmas not only displays the Christian faith of the season, but it is also a chance for people to put themselves into the scene and be a part of it.

“Jesus came specifically for you,” Helen said. “You look at this event and put yourself into it.”

And as people put themselves in that moment, it acts as a window connecting the person directly to Jesus.

The Nativity is a chance for each household to actively be a part of an important event to Christians around the world.

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