250 creches grace Bangor church

BANGOR – It’s the simplest pleasures we remember during the Christmas season – the spicy breath of fresh-cut balsam, the day-by-day suspense of the Advent calendar, the suppressed hilarity of wrapping lumpy packages behind the dining room door. Many households include the magical ritual of setting up the miniature manger scene, or creche.

These tiny tableaux depicting the humble circumstances of Christ’s birth come in all materials and styles. What they have in common is their role in setting the mood for Christmas, in reminding Christians of the essence and simplicity of the holiday.

When I was a child, our creche was handmade of unglazed Mexican clay, richly detailed and painted in bright colors. Every year, as I peeled away the crinkly, cushioning layers of tissue paper under the watchful eyes of my parents, I admired the benign faces of the gathered animals, the graceful folds of Mary’s azure gown, the rough hemp sandals on Joseph’s blocky peasant feet.

One wise man held an open book, another an ornate chest brimming with gold, and a third proffered a snow-white lily. There was a kneeling shepherd, clearly terrified, and my favorite, the teeny Baby Jesus himself – reclining on a scratchy bed of excelsior, his thin arms outstretched, and on his face an oddly adult expression of friendly good humor.

There were animals, too — a tawny camel, a kneeling bull, a ewe with two lambs, and, of course, the little gray donkey. They were all breathtakingly breakable, and every year the whole set got a little more battered. Nonetheless, my parents let my brother and me set up the Nativity scene on the back of the piano, recognizing the unique value in this quiet family ritual.

Catholic or Protestant or other, Christian or not, this year treat yourself and your family to the third creche exhibit hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Grandview Avenue. Close to 250 creches will be on loan from all over this part of Maine. Last year’s event drew nearly 1,000 visitors.

“We weren’t really expecting that many,” admitted organizer Michelle Thomas, “but it all flowed remarkably smoothly. It never felt crowded. This year we’ll be ready for even more.”

Thomas said the display seems to answer a critical need in the community. As the secular pressures of getting and spending consume more and more of our time and energy, she said, people appreciate opportunities to stop and recall the meaning of the holiday and the simplicity of the message of the Nativity.

“Absolutely, people are feeling the need to center Christmas back to its true beginnings,” she said. “Many of the comments in our guest book last year reflected the sense that Christmas is way too commercial now. I really do feel people have a need for peace in their lives and for the things they remember as a child.”

Thomas, who serves as the church’s public affairs director, emphasized that the creche event is in no way intended to recruit new members.

“No one’s going to try and convert anyone,” she promised. “There will be no missionaries, no tracts. This is not an opportunity to proselyte.” She sees the creche exhibit as a way to establish common ground during a meaningful season.

“This is a quiet, reflective event,” she said, “a gift from our church to the community.”

While many of the Nativity scenes on loan for the exhibit belong to church members, nearly half come from outside the church. “These are very special to families,” Thomas said, “and of course we’re very careful with them. So far, we haven’t broken any.”

Creches at the exhibit last year came from all over the world and were made of ceramic, wood, colored glass, cloth, stone, tin, paper, volcanic ash and even cow intestine. Some were old, some new. Many were patched and mended, displaying the wear and tear of many years of use in families that, like mine, know the value of a creche is greater than the sum of its parts.

In addition to the creches, the church is offering musical performances throughout the weekend and a live Nativity 2-3 p.m. Saturday and 1-2 p.m. Sunday. There will be a display of folk art and a short film. Children will have special activities, dress-up area and crafts.

Display hours are:

Friday: Noon-8 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sunday: Noon-8 p.m.

Performances will be held:

Friday: 2 p.m. Andre Winters, trumpeter; 4:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church Bell Ringers, Junior Choir; 6 p.m. First United Methodist Church Vocal Quartet; 7 p.m. Hampden Highland United Methodist Church Adult Bell Ringers.

Saturday: Noon, Bangor Community Chorus; 4 p.m. Hammond Street Congregational Youth and Adult Choirs; 7 p.m. Liza Rey Butler, harp.

Sunday: 3 p.m. Linda Scribner and Tess Franchi, vocal duet; 5 p.m. LDS Church Choir.