The Collector: Traveling through the Nativity story

From a tiny Nativity scene carved in stone to a large blow-mold plastic set, Rhonda Fischer’s collection embraces the spirit of the season.

It began many years ago when her mother took a ceramics class.

“The first one my mother made and gave to me when I was in college,” Fischer recalled.

The 16-piece set, glazed in white with a soft blue tint, survived many moves over the years.

“We’ve only had one casualty,” she said. “The donkey lost an ear.”

Her mother-in-law gifted her with two German candle pyramids. The larger one features Nativity scenes in the bottom tiers with an angel choir on the top. These ornate pieces of artwork use heat from candles to rotate a fan, which then moves delicately carved figurines in a circle.

“I think they were her mother’s because she immigrated from Germany,” Fischer said.

The blow-mold plastic set sits out front and welcomes guests to her home from its bed of straw.

“When a dear friend’s mother passed away, the Nativity needed a home,” she said.

A few years ago, those family heirlooms sparked a small collection mostly purchased during Fischer’s travels.

Several pieces come from the country where the nativity story originated.

“I support small businesses in Israel through Artza, a subscription box company.”

Carved from olive wood, these unadorned sets reflect the simplicity of the Christ child’s birth.

She purchased one of her favorite pieces on a trip to Jerusalem last year. It’s larger and much more ornately carved than the smaller olive wood iterations. However, it’s the story behind its acquisition that makes it memorable.

“My friend and I spotted it in a shop. She bought the display model, but the shop owner gestured for me to wait, and he clambered up into the rafters of his shop and brought this down for me.”

Fischer and her husband enjoy spending time in Mexico, so several nativities come from their trips there, including an intricate, colorful hand-beaded manger scene.

“It’s terra cotta with the beads glued on,” Fischer said. “We got it in Puerto Vallarta.”

A tiny stone crèche places the Holy Family within a cave, which reflects its origin.

“We went into a cave in Slovenia and found this in a gift shop.”

A similarly small scene made of quartz originated in Pisa, Italy.

When she visited Alaska, she came home with an Inuit nativity. Instead of camels and sheep, a polar bear, a Husky puppy and a seal gather around the baby.

During a trip to Amish country in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she found a manger scene with chunky wooden pieces safe enough for her grandchildren’s hands.

In Prague, Fischer discovered a 3D Nativity carved from delicate balsa wood. Likewise, in Vienna, she purchased a tiny balsa wood creation made of several pieces stacked like slides in a box, which gives the scene a 3D appearance.

Not every item hails from her travels. Fischer ordered one of her more striking sets from eBay.

Made by artist Jim Shore, the richly hued Nativity features baby Jesus wrapped in a homespun quilt. The three magi have scenes from the story painted on the front of their robes.

She liked it so much she purchased one for her granddaughter, too.

Choosing which one she likes the most isn’t difficult.

“For sentimental reasons, the one my mom made me is my favorite,” she said.

But her newer additions also offer delight.

When she looks at the Nativity she found in Pisa, Italy, she remembers drinking coffee near the Leaning Tower.

One purchased in Cannes, France, prompts memories of sipping wine while gazing at the beautiful beach.

“It makes me happy,” said Fischer. “It takes me back to every place I’ve been. I set them out, and it’s like traveling again.”