Honoring the First Christmas

WAITSBURG – For many Christians, pulling the nativity set out of storage and placing it prominently on display signifies the start of the Christmas season.

That's one task that Ginny and Joe Just don't have to worry about. Theirs are on display 365 days a year. Over 300 of them, as a matter of fact!

The Justs began collecting nativity sets about 16 years ago, and haven't stopped yet, though they say they have gotten significantly more picky over the years.

The collection fills a bookshelf-lined wall spanning the Just's dining room and spills over into the kitchen and living room.

It began with a ceramic nativity that their daughter painted and gave the couple as a gift.

"Each year, as we put it away and brought it back out, we'd end up with a head broken or a foot broken. We finally decided to leave it up on the armoire year round. Then we decided it looked kind of lonely up there," Ginny said.

"That's when the disease started," Joe added, laughing.

Ginny said their kids "kind of took over" and they would receive another two or three sets each Christmas. The collection snowballed quickly as friends learned about it.

The Justs have purchased many sets themselves, buying the vast majority of them off eBay. They have also purchased sets on their travels to Ireland and Italy and have received nativities as gifts from friends who live all over the world.

"It's interesting to see how different countries have different ways of describing the nativity. Different cultures look at it a little bit differently than we do," Joe said.

He pulled down a nativity from Peru and explained that the natives there had difficulty understanding the concept of Mary and Joseph riding on a donkey in the desert. A Peruvian artist portrayed a scene the Peruvian people could relate to, with Mary and Joseph on a raft, surrounded by familiar animals such as fish and turtles.

Ginny explained that she and Joe each have their favorite type of nativity. Her favorites are scenes that depict Joseph either holding or touching the baby Jesus.

"I like that they are unique and it gives him more of a position in the birth," Ginny said.

"She's a real softie for male parenting. She really likes the idea of dads being more than just providers," Joe added.

Joe said that, "as a big man," he tends to be drawn to the tiniest of nativity scenes. "His" cabinet is filled with miniatures, including one nativity painted on the inside of a seed pod from El Salvador.

Among the couple's favorites are an Irish nativity purchased by Ginny on a visit to Ireland, a beeswax set crafted by Joe Weiss of Waitsburg, sets made from wood native only to Jerusalem, and a puzzle nativity.

Ginny said they typically place a limit of $50 on their purchases, unlike some collectors that make trips to Europe and spend upwards of $3,500 on nativities.

The Justs say they realize they have run out of display space and that it's time to quit collecting, but still keep their eyes out for something different.

"You would think people would run out of ideas, but we still see unique ones all the time," Ginny said.

"It's kind of like collecting stamps in a way. You get a different look at different cultures and the different art styles are fascinating," Joe added.

Regardless of space limitations, it doesn't sound like the Justs are ready to call a close to their collecting years just yet.