This post teaches how to build and set up a simple Christmas nativity scene correctly, using crafts you make or buy, along with additional optional display elements you can use to create a more elaborate Christmas Nativity display if desired.
Add a touch of magic to your Christmas decorations by setting up a Christmas nativity scene for friends and family to enjoy. Celebrate the story of Christmas with a nativity display, from simple to complex. This informative guide will help you set up a nativity scene that is tiny and minimal, or as elaborate and larger-than-life as you like. This step-by-step tutorial not only shares how to set up a nativity scene correctly for Christmas, but it also includes simple wooden nativity set craft instructions, a DIY nativity stable that kids or adults can build, and a wooden peg doll holy family to make. Or, use the step-by-step DIY nativity scene display tutorial below with your own creche and nativity figurines! You might also enjoy these classic and unique Christmas Traditions.
Related: Christmas Gifts Kids Can Make Your Family Will Love!
DIY Christmas Nativity Display Set-Up From Minimal to Complex
Set up a simple nativity scene to display along with your Christmas decorations this holiday season. Decorating a Christmas nativity scene requires a few simple supplies. Either use the step-by-step instructions included in this handy guide to make your own holy family and nativity stable, or use the step-by-step DIY tutorial to set up a nativity scene with your favorite handmade or store-bought nativity figurines.
First, Make, Build, Borrow, or Buy a Nativity Set:
Before setting up or decorating a Christmas nativity scene, you must make, build, borrow, or buy a Nativity set. What does the Nativity include? At a minimum, a nativity scene typically includes Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus, often set in a stable, such as the popsicle-stick nativity stable craft shown in the photo below.
To create this simple nativity set in the photograph above, my daughter and I used popsicle sticks to make a gorgeous yet simple nativity stable. Then we used a male and female wooden peg doll to complete the Holy Couple, Mary and Joseph. Then we put a small peg doll in a half walnut shell to make a simple Baby Jesus figurine, to complete the Holy Family.
However, you don’t need to put Baby Jesus in the walnut shell manger or creche if you don’t want to; you can use the baby wooden peg doll on its own if you prefer. Or choose another Baby Jesus figurine if you don’t want to make the craft. Of course, you are welcome to purchase different Christmas nativity figurines to set up a nativity display.
You can also include more characters from the birth of Jesus and the Christmas story, along with the step-by-step instructions, to create a Nativity display with the three wise men, kings, or magi, a shepherd, and animals, as shown in the photo below. Or an even more elaborate display, with some of the other optional nativity elements, such as a star or angel figurine, as discussed within this informative guide.
Using popsicle sticks to build the wooden nativity stable and wooden peg dolls to make the figurines for the holy family and other nativity characters makes it easy to assemble a minimalist Christmas nativity set in a snap.
However, feel free to substitute another, more elaborate DIY or store-bought nativity scene figures to set up using the instructions below. A few of my favorite recommendations are on the nativity craft supply list below:
Christmas Nativity Scene Craft Supplies:
- DIY Popsicle Stick Nativity Stable or an alternative Nativity Stable of choice.
- Wooden peg doll couple to represent Mary and Joseph, or THESE holy family figurines that include Baby Jesus.
- Baby Jesus in a half-walnut shell, a mini peg doll, or another Baby Jesus figurine
- Three wooden peg dolls to represent the Three Wise Men or Magi, or THESE figures.
- Wooden animal nativity figurines (Sheep, Donkey, Goat, etc.)
- Christmas Angel(s) (Make this angel craft or buy THIS angel or THIS angel.)
- Star of Bethlehem (A Christmas Star is included on this nativity stable craft, or buy THESE shooting comet stars for a nativity backdrop.)
- Or, purchase this gorgeous Nativity Set by Willow Tree, as shown in the photo below. It includes everything you need to set up an elaborate and festive Christmas display.
Please note: The wooden peg doll set listed above will give you enough peg dolls to make the minimalist nativity scene shown in the photographs. It will also give you enough peg dolls to make several other nativity figurines, such as the wise men and shepherds, elf ornaments, rainbow peg dolls, and winter fairy peg dolls, as well! DIY rainbow peg dolls and winter fairies make great Christmas gift ideas for the kids.
Christmas Nativity Scene FAQ’s
Before we share the proper way to set up a Christmas nativity display, we thought we’d answer a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) about decorating a Nativity Scene for Christmas.
1. What is the Nativity Structure Called?
The nativity structure, called a creche or manger, contains the elements typically found in a nativity scene, including the stable and figurines.
2. What are the elements of the Nativity?
What is usually in a Nativity scene? A Christmas Nativity scene includes elements and nativity characters from the story of the birth of Christ. A nativity scene typically consists of some or all of the following elements:
- Nativity Stable
- Holy Family (Mary, Jesus, and Baby Jesus)
- Animals (Sheep, Donkey, Ox, and sometimes a Goat or Camel)
- Shepards
- Three Wise Men, Magi or Kings
- Christmas Angel
- Star of Bethlehem or Christmas Star
3. What is the proper way to set up a Nativity scene?
Step-by-step instructions to set up a Nativity Scene for Christmas are below the list of Nativity supplies. Scroll down for step-by-step directions.
4. When do you set up a Nativity Scene Display?
Setting up a nativity scene display during Christmas is a cherished tradition in many cultures. The timing for setting it up can vary depending on cultural and personal preferences:
- Beginning of Advent: Many people set up their Nativity scene at the start of Advent, the preparation period for Christmas. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day.
- December 1st: Some might start setting up their Nativity scenes on December 1st, aligning with the beginning of the month, when Christmas is celebrated and when people typically set up their Advent calendars and Christmas countdowns.
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th): In some Catholic traditions, the Nativity scene is set up on or around this feast.
- Christmas Eve: In certain traditions, particularly in Italy, the baby Jesus is added to the Nativity scene on Christmas Eve (December 24th) to symbolize His birth.
- Varying Personal Traditions: Many families have their own traditions regarding when to set up the Nativity scene. It could be tied to a specific family event, a weekend in early December, or any other personal preference.
5. How long do you leave up the Nativity scene?
Just as there are differences in when people set up their nativity displays, there are also discrepancies around how long one should be left up. While some people take down their Nativity decorations right after Christmas, it is common to leave the Nativity scene displayed until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. Because many people believe it commemorates the visit of the Magi or Three Wise Men to the baby Jesus. Other traditions extend the display until Candlemas or Imbolc on February 2nd.
Related: Christmas Ornaments Kids Can Make
How to Set up a Nativity Scene for Christmas: Step-by-Step DIY Decorating Instructions:
Building, setting up, and decorating a Christmas nativity scene is a cherished tradition for many Christians during the holiday season. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you create a beautiful Nativity display in your home for Christmas, broken into two step-by-step tutorials. The first set of instructions specifies the minimum number of figurines required for a nativity scene. The second set of instructions explains how to set up several additional optional elements, depending on the nativity figurines and materials you have available and your personal preferences.
1. Choose the location for your Christmas nativity scene:
- Find a spot in your home where the nativity scene will be visible and not disturbed.
- Some good options are a table or shelf, a mantelpiece, or a dedicated space on the floor.
- In many traditions, a Christmas Nativity scene is placed in the same place where an altar would be. Typically, this is in line with the rising sun in the east.
- In other words, the viewers face eastward, toward the rising sun, as they gaze upon it.
2. Lay the foundation for the Christmas display:
- Start by laying a base or creating a space for your nativity scene.
- This can be a simple cloth, or a more elaborate setup with moss, sand, straw, or grass to create a more realistic landscape.
- Or set it up on a table or shelf with a Stone Advent Christmas Countdown or an Advent Spiral.
3. Place the Nativity Stable:
- The nativity stable is the centerpiece of the scene. Please put it in a central location within your Christmas nativity display.
- Build your own Christmas nativity stable, or use your favorite pre-made structure.
4. Arrange the main Christmas character figurines in the stable.
- Place the Holy Family (Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus) inside the nativity stable.
- Select a peg doll couple to represent Mary and Joseph, or use your favorite Christmas figurines.
- If you use a peg doll, leave them natural, unfinished, raw wood as shown in the photographs, or decorate them however you wish.
- For the viewer, Mary sits on the left, and Joseph on the right.
- Traditionally, Baby Jesus is added to the nativity scene on Christmas Eve, but this is up to your preference.
Is Mary on the right or left in the Nativity?
Should Mary be on the right or left? In most religious traditions, Mary is typically placed on the left side of the nativity scene for viewers, putting her on Jesus’s right, a position of honor. At the same time, Joseph usually sits on the right. The figurines are most often placed sitting, facing outward and toward each other, often within a nativity stable, with Jesus in the middle. So, Mary sits on Jesus’s left, and Joseph on his right for the viewer, as shown in the photograph below.
On which side of Jesus is Mary?
Mary sits on the left of Baby Jesus or at his right hand, reserved as a position of honor, as shown in the photograph and description above.
Additional Optional Elements for a Nativity Scene Display:
To set up a nativity scene correctly, it needs to include baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph set up according to the step-by-step instructions above. However, there are many more Christmas nativity character figurines you can make or purchase and add to your nativity scene for Christmas. These Christmas nativity ideas are optional and up to your personal preference.
1. Include animal figurines in the Creche:
- Place animal figurines in or around the nativity stable.
- Common animals in a nativity scene include donkeys, sheep, goats, oxen, and camels for the Magi.
2. Add Shepherds to the Nativity Scene:
- Shepherds can be placed on one side of the stable with or without sheep.
- They represent the first to hear the news of Jesus’ birth.
3. Position the Wise Men or Magi:
- The Wise Men, or Magi, are typically placed on the opposite side of the shepherds, but there are exceptions to this depending on space, etc.
- In some traditions, they move closer to the stable as Epiphany (January 6th) approaches, representing their journey.
- Others believe the Three Kings didn’t arrive until a few years after Jesus’ birth. So, design your nativity according to your religious beliefs, family traditions, and preferences.
- Sometimes we put our Wise Men behind a stone in our Christmas countdown calendar. It’s not very accurate, but it’s fun. I then explain to my daughter that the Magi traveled after Jesus’ birth on Christmas. So, while removing the final rock symbolizes the birth of Christ, it does not signify the arrival of the Wise Men.
4. Include a Christmas Star (Comet Star, Star of Bethlehem):
- The Star of Bethlehem, Comet Star, or Christmas Star, appears in the nativity story when the Wise Men, or Magi from the East, are inspired to travel to Jerusalem after seeing the star.
- The star leads them to the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem, where they are said to give him gifts.
- Please note: Many Christians and theologians believe the birth of Jesus was a miracle. However, some scholars do not consider Baby Jesus’ birth to be a historical event. Instead, many think it may have been a fictional story added to the main gospel later.
- The homemade Nativity stable DIY in the photographs has a star built into the creche.
5. Add a Christmas Angel to the Nativity scene:
- An angel is often placed above the stable or nearby, symbolizing the angel who announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds.
- More than one angel can be used to decorate the nativity display if you prefer.
- Make this gorgeous angel craft with or without the twine hanger, depending on where you want to put it on the display.
- Or purchase your favorite angel figurine to include.
6. Lighting and other Christmas decorations:
- Add lighting, such as small LED fairy lights, to highlight the scene.
- Some also add stars, small trees, Christmas crafts, and other seasonal holiday decorations to enhance the display.
7. Personalize your Christmas Nativity Display:
- Feel free to add personal touches to your nativity scene.
- This could include unique figures, natural elements, and other special decorations that have meaning for you or your family.
DIY Christmas Nativity Scene Craft for Kids and Adults:
Make this beautiful, easy DIY Christmas nativity scene with wooden peg dolls or your favorite Nativity figurines this season. Both kids and adults will enjoy this easy Christmas nativity DIY project!
Remember, a nativity scene setup can vary greatly depending on personal, cultural, and regional traditions. There are several variations in beliefs, traditions, and accounts of the Birth of Jesus and the Nativity. The most crucial aspect of its design is that it reflects the spirit of the season and holds meaning for you and your loved ones.
You might also enjoy this list of Christmas Traditions and our Winter Bucket List filled with fun activities for kids!
Learn more about Nell Regan Kartychok, author and photographer of how to set up a nativity scene correctly HERE, and Rhythms of Play HERE!
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