Christmas is a special time of year. For many it is the season of gifts and tinsel but for some it means more than that – it is the time we remember the birth of Jesus. In that light one of the most loved traditions of the Christmas season is that of the nativity. St. Francis of Assisi created the first nativity in 1224 as a way to help explain the birth of Jesus and the events surrounding that birth to his followers. Since that time artisans and laymen have been creating nativity sets so that Christians the world over can display them in their homes to remind themselves and their guest of the true meaning of Christmas.

Many different traditions have sprung up within individual homes and families involving the nativity. While some families put up the entire nativity set in a prominent place early in the Christmas season, other families choose to wait until Christmas eve to set up their nativity set making it part of their long standing Christmas eve traditions.

Still others chose to use the nativity to recreate a silent story of Jesus birth. They begin by putting up the stable or manger and the animals a few days before Christmas. In the afternoon of Christmas day they place Mary and Joseph in the stable. Later than evening they place Jesus in the Crib and the star above the stable. Near midnight they bring the shepherds to look upon the Christ child, and later still the Wise men. These traditions help to keep Jesus at the forefront of these families Christmas celebrations. Many parents use the setting up of the Creche to teach their young children about the birth of Jesus.

Unfortunately, because many of these sets are made from ceramic, porcelain, and even crystal their pieces are breakable and children are forbidden to touch them. This means that the children have no part in setting up the manger or manipulating the pieces so that the message of the importance of Jesus birth is often lost on the young child.

For parents who want their children to truly get a feeling for how important Jesus’ birth is to the Christmas season purchasing a childrens nativity set made of materials that are safe for a child (such as cloth, wood, and plastic) is a great idea. This will allow the child to touch, handle and set up their very own nativity and make the story of the birth of Jesus more real during the Christmas season. And while there are some nativity play sets made specifically for kids (including Playmobil, Fisher Price and Lego), other nativity sets are simply solid enough to allow for safe handling my little hands – Willow Tree being an example.

Many parents allow their child to keep their childrens nativity set out all year round and enact the story of Jesus birth whenever they want. In doing so these parents have been surprised to find that as Christmas approaches their child grows ever more excited – not for the gifts brought by Santa, but for the birth of Jesus placing the emphasis of Christmas right where it should be.

If you want the true meaning of Christmas to shine in your child’s heart then giving them their own special nativity set is a great way to accomplish this. Buy them their own childrens nativity set today and letting them play and recreate the story of Jesus birth with give more meaning to the Christmas holiday when it arrives.

So why wait? Let your child experience the true miracle of Christmas year round: the birth of Jesus Christ.