Putting Jesus in the Creche - A Family Tradition

So, your creche has been awaiting the arrival of you little ceramic Jesus for 4 Sundays of advent, and it's almost time for Him to claim His place in the manger!



Violet's Godmother (who grew up in the cutest Catholic family ever) has a great tradition for kids to add Baby Jesus to the manger scene! Every year when they returned from the vigil mass on Christmas Eve, they would have a Baby Jesus Hunt! It's just like and Easter egg hunt, only you're looking for Baby Jesus. Doesn't that sound like a great Christmas tradition?! :-)


Here's what you do:
Hide all the Baby Jesus' from your creche sets before you leave for Christmas mass. When you return from mass, have your kids search until they retrieve every Baby Jesus for all of your nativity sets. Make sure that each child has at least one. (If you're at all obsessed with nativity sets like me, that should be no problem).


Then you sing a Christmas song (Such as Away in a Manger) while your family processes from creche to creche adding Jesus to the manger.


Let the smallest child have the Baby Jesus from your main nativity set, and after adding Him, have a blessing of the creche. You can print a copy of a Creche Blessing Here. Here's a different creche blessing where you bless each piece separately. I love my new creche for this year! See how all the pieces have a different bible verse on them? 


This set is called the Scripture Nativity Set and I remember seeing it at Wal-Mart last Christmas, but I couldn't afford it. Luckily for me I found the same set (new in the box) at a yard sale last Summer! I was soooo excited! This year we also have a large Baby Jesus with a wooden manger from Catholic Child Catalog.


I am in love with this new Christmas decoration- it's my favorite of all! We have His empty manger patiently awaiting Christ front and center in front of the (fake) fireplace.

I really look forward to starting this tradition with my family this year, and I just know my children will love it! Does your family have a tradition for adding Jesus to the nativity set? We'd all love to hear about it! :-)
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5 comments:

  1. My oldest son has been doing this all Advent. Hes like a bounty hunter. Its good he didnt work for Herod.

    BTW-- Im all about popes so I have to remind everyone. B16 asked all the children of the world to say a prayer for him when they place the baby Jesus in the mangers

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  2. we put Christ in the manger on Christmas morning. I love that Nativity scene and the large baby Jesus in the manger. Merry Christmas friend.

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  3. We do a blessing of our creche that is located here:

    http://www.iccparish.org/PDF/Blessing%20the%20Family%20Creche.pdf

    The kids love blessing each figure with holy water.

    Our children's godparents started the tradition of giving them a nativity piece to their very own nativity every Christmas. So, when the kids leave our home they will have their very own nativity.

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  4. We added the beautiful Manger and Baby Jesus from Catholic Child to our own collection this year as well! It is beautiful! (It reminds me so much of the set my Grandmother had when I was a child... I have such great memories of placing Baby Jesus in the manger at her house on Christmas Eve!) The Manger has been sitting at the base of our Christmas Tree and my children have been filling it with "hay" (as they offer sacrifices) in preparation for Christmas.

    I hope you and your family have a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

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  5. Christmas Blessings to you and your family! We also do a baby Jesus hunt and something similar to Jessica. This year we added a new tradition...Stations of the Manger that we are looking forward to! Peace and Joy this Holy Night:-)

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Thanks for your comments! They're the icing on my cake ;-)