Outdoor Nativity Scene

A few years ago, my sister emailed me snapshots she'd taken of an outdoor nativity scene. "Can you make me one?"

She told me she had been trying for years to find a nativity scene that was not too commercial and/or tacky. She was so excited to have finally found something she loved.

Well I had been struggling with what to get her for Christmas, so I went to work trying to figure out how to make the thing, based on the pictures she'd sent.

All my life, I'd thought that my sister was more "artistically opinionated" than me, but honestly, I didn't think the thing was that nice. Being the perfectionist that I am, I decided to improve the design. That was the fun part. Making it was not.

Try taking a 50 lb., 4'x8' sheet of plywood, laying out and cutting intricate patterns, sanding all the pieces then priming and painting each one, front, back and sides. It took a long time. In fact, I didn't get it done in time for her to put out that year.

But, she used it the next Christmas. Then I got the phone call. Several of her friends and neighbors wanted me to make them one too. "And by the way" she says, "the winter was real tough on mine so it needs to be re-primed and painted".

I wasn't sure what to do. People seemed to think it was wonderful. I agreed, but it was way too much work to make. And if I were to make more, I'd at least need to find something better than plywood to use so it would last longer than 1 or 2 seasons.

I talked to numerous experts about alternative materials and found the perfect stuff. It's a solid PVC (the same stuff they make irrigation pipes out of) impregnated with resins and UV filters (so it won't turn yellow) then cold rolled flat. Lots of companies make it, mostly for commercial signs, but the one I'm using is commercial/marine grade. It's more expensive than the others and much more expensive than plywood but it's meant to be outdoors. I'm confident it will really last. Other benefits to this material are that it's a little lighter than plywood and it's naturally white, so there is no need to paint it. It's got a real nice matte finish that looks and feels just like professionally painted wood. (In fact, a lady who bought this nativity last year, when she received it in the mail, immediately emailed me because she was upset that I'd sent her wood, when she'd ordered plastic).

I'm so proud of this nativity scene. With an up light (not included) on it at night it is just beautiful. Now that I can, I want to share it with everyone. It's gorgeous, it's simple, it's calm. It's what Christmas is about. I promise it is the best outdoor nativity scene available.

There is a little assembly required and it does need to sit on a reasonably flat and level surface, but it can be put together in just a few minutes. At the end of the season you can take it apart in seconds and store it in the compact box it was shipped in, until next Christmas.