Friends of the Creche

06/23/2026

06/22/2026

This nativity was made in Mexico. It's made from hand-carved and painted wood, and is in a glass box. The box is just short of three inches tall.

I found this nativity in the Gossypia store in Alexandria. It was in a cabinet of miniatures, and did not catch my eye until I was on my way out of the store.

But I kept thinking about it, and thinking, and thinking....

I was so happy it was there when on my next trip to the store!

I've enjoyed visiting this store for since around 1989. It's older than that. As attested by this article about the Friends of the Creche member who owns the store, Amanda Lasker’s Gossypia: Six Decades of Style, Culture, and Charm
https://thezebra.org/2025/09/01/amanda-laskers-gossypia-six-decades-of-style-culture-and-charm/

I'll need to get back out to Gossypia because they having a 70% off sale of folk art, including nativities.

They have all sorts to items, as you can see in their Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/gossypia/

If you tell them you are interested in nativities, they'll take you to their second floor with even more nativities and folk art.

The store is in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia at 325 Cameron Street, Alexandria VA 22314. Which is at the corner of Cameron and Royal Streets.

Their store days and hours of operation are are:

Tuesday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Wednesday - Saturday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 pm

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call them at Gossypia at (703) 836-6969.

06/19/2026

The nativity was carved by an artist in Indiana from three different types of wood.

Like many of my nativities, I got it at the Gossipya store in the Old Town part of Alexandria, Virginia (near the church George Washington attended!)

I've been buying nativities there for decades!

I learned they are selling their folk art with a 70% off sale, which includes many nativities. Several nativities are downstairs, but most are on their second floor. Just ask for nativities, and they'll take you up!

They are at 325 Cameron Street, Alexandria VA 22314. Corner of Cameron and Royal Streets.

Their store hours are limited.

Store hours are:

Tuesday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Wednesday - Saturday: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 pm

Their phone number is (703) 836-6969.

Here's a link to some info about the boutique, and photos of some of their nativities https://thezebra.org/2023/12/23/photos-its-merry-and-bright-at-gossypia-boutique-in-alexandria/

Here's a link to the story of how our one of our fellow Friends of the Creche members collected the amazing items in her store. https://thezebra.org/2025/09/01/amanda-laskers-gossypia-six-decades-of-style-culture-and-charm/

06/19/2026

One of my favorite artists is Fra Angelico. He was born Guido di Pietro, and took the name John of Fiesole when he became a Franciscan Friar. Hi Franciscan brothers nicknamed him Fra Angelico (Angelic Friar) because of his holiness and the beauty of his paintings.

His art was entirely on the subject of Sacred Scripture. He was said to have wept when painting the Crucifixion. Here are three of his paintings of the Nativity.

In the first photo, he combines the tradition of the birth in a cave and the setting in a stable. Some other artists of this period also included elements of both. He follows the vision of the mystic St. Brigid of Sweden and depicts Mary on her knees and the Christ child lying naked on the ground. Angels sing above and the ox and ass are behind in the cave.

The saint behind Mary is probably Catherine of Alexandria, because of the crown. The saint in black is Peter Martyr, identified by the gash in his head. This painting is located in Cell 5 of the San Marco Convent in Florence, Italy.

The second painting again shows Mary kneeling and Jesus naked on the ground. This time the scene is entirely in a stable. It is a panel from the “Armadio degli Argenti (Silver Treasury) made for the Santissima Annunziata church in Florence.

The third painting is the famous “Adoration of the Magi,” which was begun by Fra Angelico and completed by Filippo Lippi. You can read a beautiful explanation about the symbolism of the various elements written by Madeleine Stebbins here: https://stpaulcenter.com/posts/the-adoration-of-the-magi.

06/15/2026

This nativity was made from Coca Cola cans in South Africa. I got it around 1987 when the National Cathedral in Washington, DC had a gift shop that sold nativities from around the world.

Sadly, they don't sell nativities any more, but they still do an annual nativity display. Here's the link to their display last year. https://cathedral.org/visit-tour/nativity-sets-exhibit/

06/09/2026

First of the nativities I got for my birthday. Yes, I ordered all but one myself. First, one from my daughter and son-in-law they found somewhere. Next, a Kat Martin original who sells sets on a buy and sell site. After I told her I was buying it for my birthday it arrived wrapped in birthday paper with a card inside.

06/08/2026

I found this nativity in the 1980’s at the Arlington County Fair in Arlington, Virginia.

A young Hmong woman from Laos was selling “Story Cloths,” depicting a range of scenes of their life in Laos, history, folk tales, religious stories, military attacks, and their harrowing, deadly flight from Laos as refugees. After U.S. troops left the region in 1975, the Hmong were persecuted by their government for having supported the U.S. forces.

I looked through the story cloths and found this nativity.

One of the things I’ve learned from other nativity friends is how fun it is to discover the artistic and cultural traditions behind some of the nativities I’d happen to get over the years. This nativity is no exception.

The rich Hmong tradition of embroidery includes Flower Cloths “Paj Ntaub.” Historically, the Hmong language lacked a written form, so these special textiles were used to record and share history, stories and culture.

While in camps in Thailand, Hmong refugees developed a new style of “Story Cloths” to preserve connections with their homeland and relate their experiences.

The Hmong community in the United States is working to continue this tradition, and I discovered it in this nativity at my local the County Fair.

Like in other Story Cloths, the images are drawn on a cloth, then filled in with long stitches of multi-colored thread. The stories are then framed with a border, and muslin is usually sewn to the back of the fabric.

This Library of Congress article discusses deep textile tradition of the Hmong people, and has details and photos of Story Cloths.
https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2020/07/asia-texts-and-textiles-at-the-library-of-congress-part-ii-hmong-story-cloths/

This article covers the wide range of Hmong embroidery, including how this latest form of Story Cloths was developed by Hmong people in refugee camps. https://learnuake.org/articles/hmong-culture/embroidery/ -Paj-Ntaub-(Story-Cloths)

Finally, this article
https://sahanjournal.com/arts/hmong-paj-ntaub-hmong-archives/lovely has great photos, and shares a heart-warming story about how hundreds of Story Cloths were saved by the volunteers at Hmong Archives and an 88-year-old woman in Wisconsin, who had sold Story Cloths on consignment at gift shops and trade shows on behalf of some 60 Hmong women.

06/08/2026

Here is your meditative moment of the day compliments of the grass in our front lawn.

06/05/2026

Nativities in the Kokeshi Doll style are a unique and beautiful art form from Japan. Here is one example: https://ebay.us/m/klVl4X

The first four photos are of nativities. The remaining photos are examples of the varied styles of Kokeshi dolls. They are so varied and colorful. I do not own a nativity, but I have a few dolls. I have read that they were originally made as toys for children. Later, the craftsmen decided to produce and sell them as souvenirs at various hot springs. Here is a little information about these unique figures.

“Kokeshi are wooden dolls that originate from the Tōhoku region of north-eastern Japan and which emerged as a folk craft from hot spring mountain villages at the end of the Edo period (1603-1868 CE).

They are characterised by their elongated, limbless bodies, disproportionately large heads and delicate hand-painted features. All six prefectures in the Tōhoku region – Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima – have a heritage of kokeshi making and there are 12 styles of doll across the region, each hailing from a different hot spring (onsen) town or area, and differentiated by head and body shape, facial features and decoration.” (https://www.japanhouselondon.uk/read-and-watch/kokeshi/)

There are 12 styles of historical style Kokeshi dolls (called Dento). The type we most often see are called “Creative Kokeshis” and do not have the same styles as the originals. Artist have gotten so creative and added much to this type of art.

The Kokeshi on the bridge and those in the last four photos are more in the traditional style. It is much simpler in design, but quite elaborate in the painting.