Oh NOT so Little Town of Bethlehem

Local couple celebrates the reason for the season with nativity tradition

Story and Photos by Lizz Daniels

Nativity scenes are a time-honored tradition when it comes to the Christmas season. Memories of setting up tiny figurines to honor the birth of Jesus are a shared memory for many Christians, but for Bob and Candee Paredes, it’s about more than memories. It’s about family heritage.

Growing up in Mexico, Bob and his siblings didn’t have much, but they did have an aunt who found a way to make Christmas memorable despite their hardships.

“She was really good at making the nativity scene because she used paper,” said Bob. “I remember the waterfall and the angel hair and stuff. So what she’d say is ‘we’re going to go to the market and you guys can pick one figure and we’ll use it.’ I remember doing it two years, I was seven or eight years old. And it got to be a thing that we looked forward to. Every year, we would wait to see how she would make the nativity scene. When my son was born, I thought it might be a good idea if he learned that tradition because we never knew about Santa Claus. Everything was nativity. Santa Claus didn’t bring presents to us, baby Jesus did. So when I told her (Candee) about it, she said okay, we’ll start collecting.”

Candee’s enthusiasm quickly grew into an annual celebration of Christ’s birth that now dominates their family living room during the holidays in a sprawling display of the city of Bethlehem, complete with lighting, rivers, animals, and angels atop every building.

“It’s my fault is what he’s saying, I guess,” said Candee. “I got the little nativity scene that everybody gets that’s the little manger that has the Holy Family and some shepherds, maybe some wise men and some critters. And then, he decided that we needed to kind of think about doing the nativity in the manner that he was raised with doing because he’s from Mexico. Where he grew up, his aunt would do a nativity scene and they didn’t have a lot of money, so his mom who was working in the United States would send money back and the aunt would give each of the kids –– there were four of them –– a little bit of money, and they’d go down to the market and buy some piece that she would add into the nativity and each year it increased in size because that’s what they did. And not just me, other people decided that this is what he needed to have, so I even had to make a list that we kept on the computer that I could print off for people, so that they wouldn’t duplicate. So it got out of hand.”

Many adults experience burnout or seasonal depression at the onset of the holiday season, making it easy to forget the magic of it all (the magic) that existed in childhood. Building the nativity and the entirety of Bethlehem around it became a way for Bob to reconnect with treasured memories of joy while bringing new light into his home as an adult.

“It was a happy time when I was a kid,” said Bob. “It was something like she said, we didn’t have a lot of money. Our presents were not toys. They were practical things –– shoes, pants –– things that we needed that we weren’t going to play with, but it was fun to see my aunt make the scene, and then, we’d enjoy it during Christmas. So I said, you know what –– I’m going to try it and see if it’s still fun. And every year that I would make it, it kept growing, and I thought eventually it’s going to stop. We have so many figurines and buildings and stuff, but she kept buying them.”

Most of the figures are crafted by Fontanini, which releases and retires pieces just like many artisans, meaning some are quite rare, making it a special treat for those who get to view it in person. It’s been 37 years since Bob and Candee first started the project at their home in California, where they would host friends while enjoying homemade tamales, guacamole, and salsa while enjoying the Christmas spirit. Nativity figures also became an easy gift idea for friends and family over the years.

“Every Christmas, people would get me figures that I didn’t have,” said Bob. “And then she (Candee) would buy the buildings, and every Christmas, or right before Thanksgiving, I’d set it up. I’m retired law enforcement, and we would have tamale day in California. Everybody I worked with would come. It was from the morning to the evening, and everyone would come and see the nativity. Well, every year it would grow and people would come and see how much it grew.”

Despite the importance of the nativity, which is central to the Christmas celebration, there has certainly been fun and silliness along the way. With over 150 figures in the display, surprises are hidden throughout.

Bob tells the story of a Captain (Corporal) he worked with who decided to play a little Christmas prank on him.

“He called me up one day after coming for tamales, and seeing the nativity, he goes ‘hey, I put Stitch, from Lilo and Stitch in your nativity. I bet you can’t find him.’ Well, then the Captain showed up for tamales, and they go ‘what are you looking for?’ Well, I told them Lindsay put Stitch in here somewhere and I can’t find him and I want him out. I don’t want that thing in my nativity. So the Captain and the under sheriff were looking for Stitch. So Lindsay called me back, and says ‘have you found him?’ I said no, but the Captain and the under sheriff are looking for him. ‘No, man no! I was only kidding! I didn’t put anything in there!’ So, it got to be a joke.”

Despite the hijinks, honoring the birth of Jesus is the intent, which is why baby Jesus isn’t in the manger before Christmas day. It all plays into the experience of the Epiphany, which is the true start of the Christmas season and the season that is currently underway.

“When you go and look at it, baby Jesus is not in the nativity scene,” said Candee. “He will not show up until Christmas Day. And the only characters that move during all of this are the wise men, because they are in route to the baby Jesus and they will arrive on the sixth.”

The nativity will stay up in their home until the start of the new year, and then it will be time to pack up all the boxes and start hauling them back up to the attic to be stored away for next Christmas. It’s physically intensive and takes a few days to get everything packed and put away.

“It’s once a year, and like I said, this year, I started the week before Thanksgiving. Other times I start the first of November, but this year I decided to wait a little bit. By Thanksgiving it was up and ready to go and it’s just one of those things. It’s fun. To me it’s enjoyable and I don’t like taking it down because I’ve got to put it up and put it away. Everything has to go in the box, but it’s a labor of love, I guess.”

As the three wise men begin their journey to Bethlehem to honor the Christ child, Bob is already planning his nativity scene for next year. And with so many friends and family contributing to the ever-growing collection, there is no telling what creative ways Bob will find to celebrate the Christmas season in the future. •