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- . - - ,.- ..'.~. Outstançling Collection of 'Folk Art Nativity ;Sets Dramatizes Holy Birth by Marjorie S. Miller The reveren"ce that Cbris tians eeyhr feel for the momentous event that took place in Bethlehem, is ex- pressed in their Nativity scenes. Altbougb repre- sentations of the Nativity have been found in the Roman catacombs, that go back many hundreds of years, it was not untîl the mid-thirteentb Cen- tury that tbe first set of indi- vidual figures were made by Arnolfo di Cambi in Italy. In 1223, St. Francis of As- sissi re-created tbe Nativity when he fashioned an o4tdoor crèche,, or crib, to show Christ's humble beginning. His hope of bringing the joyful message of Christ's birth to al was realized, and the crèche became a most cherished Cbristmas tradition. Mrs. Rosemary D. Sullivan of New York City, an energetic retired art teacher, bas been colecting folk art Nativity sets for about forty years. Altbough ber preference is for contem- porary cribs, she does have some old Neapolitan figures that date back to the midL eighteenth Century. Thirty 1 five-countries are represented in ber more than 150 sets. Mrs. Sullivan welcomes every opportunity to show ber Ùnique collection and is 'a generous tender to museumsl, libraries, schools and other exhibitions during the Christ- mas season. The rest of the year her precious things are packed away at borne. She does however, keep a Nativity set of fine Hummel porcelain always on ber mantde. Two years ago, anticipating a visit from a fellow collector fromn Holland, Mrs. Sullivan un- packed and set out al ber scenes. It was another two years before she packed thema up again to store away! When asked what first stimulated ber interest in col- lecting Nativity sets, Mrs. Sut- hvan replied she really didn't know. "It's like falling in love. Wbat makes you fali in love? It just happens." Abouf forty years ago while walking through the old New York Wanamaker's depart- ment store, right after the Christmas holidays, Mrs. Sul- livan spied some plaster Nativ- ity sets that bad been marked down to 750. Then and there she bought ber first set. Not long after she found a second crèche in a Mexican shop in Greenwich Village. A set made of straw came next, and Mrs. Sullivan was happily involved in ber new hobby! Her next acquisitions were some paper crib sets bought fromsbops that deait in reli- gious goods. The, stores, in Iower Manhattan, were being razed to make way for a new NATIVITY SET FROM HONG KONG. Bamboo stalks are used ingeniously to create scene and 7" figures. NATIVITY SET FROM THAILAND by Tonghorn Chan- davimol. Figures 8" tait have delicate facial featur.s painted on sitk; the elothes are copies of native dress. FRENCH SANTONS FROM PROVENCE, FRANCE. Mov- abie arms are wired to shoulders of terra-cotta bodies, 12" tati. Costumes follow traditional styles. post office and Mns. Sullivan buys. In the last twenty years was able to make some good she bas added three more e Let the beauty of this Blessed Season be in your hearts. ilrom the Management and Staff of Bowmanville Sand and %wraveU SR.R.1, Bowmanville- 263-2143 paper sets, from Sweden, to ber beautiful collection. Leads for finding ber special treasures corne from many sources. Friends of friends hear about figures on display, or for sale, in other cities and pass the word along. Shopping in foreign places bas unearthed many unusual sets and Mrs. Sullivan says "'some just kind of floated by." A Nativity scene picked up on a trip to Thailand in 1970 is Mrs.-Sullivan's favorite. Beau- tifully made and put together with loving cane, it is a stinring interpretation of a miraculous event. American Indians in the west have been makîng Nativ- ity sets and Mns. Sullivan's col- lection includes five fnom dif- ferent pueblos. Mrs. Sullivan is an authority on the santons, or little saints, that came to Provence, France, in the eighteenth Cen- tury from Italy. The elegant and dramatic crèches of Naples called presepios, were only for the ich, but it was flot long before the simple people developed their own ceramic Nativity figures, called pastone. It was these delightful figures that the French inter- preted in their own way, creat- ing a truly original version of tbe Nativity scene. -fbe Friends of The Christmas Cribl" an active, international organization of collectors, headquartered in Rome, bas no American mem- bers. Mrs. Sullivan was the only one from the United States to attend their conven- tion in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1974, and she is looking forwand to the next one in Nuremberg. Genmany, in 1979. Altbough she dlaims ber collecting days are over, who knows wbat treasures she wilt find there! HOLIDAY PUZZLER Can you rememben the naines of aIl of Santa's rein- deer? We've listed them al directly below, upside-down, but first see how you do without peeking! p!dnD 'ua -x!A'uDzlH 'flDPuOG 'IztOwj Section Three The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, December 20,,1978 Lost art of0 tale-teling Original Ideas Make A Gift of Cash Srni'eial To lift your family's spirits on a cold, dreary winter evening, wby flot pick up and read aloud one or more of tbe many marvelous stories or poems that evoke the Christmas season? Old standbys include "The Nigbt Before Christmas,". by Clement Moore, and "A Christmas Carol,"' by Charles Dickens. But did you know that Dickens also wrote other Christmas stories, including "The Cricket on tbe Hearth- and "The Chimes"? T.S. Eliot's short poem, -Journey of the Magi," is a famous exploration of the meaning of Christmas in a serious vein and William But- ler Yeats' poem,' 'The Magi," is a beautiful evoca- tion of their journey, an image sucb as one might find in a painting by an Old Mas- ter. Then tbere's Rudyard Kip- ling's poem, " Christmas in India," and, for the New Year, Alfred, Lord Tenny- son's famous poem tbat be- gins, "Ring out, wild beits, to tbe wild sky." There is no pleasure like the recitation of poems and stories, and no poems or stories like tbose written by Literature's greats. So, pick up a book, begin to read, and enjoy! TREE DOLLS If you want to make-your own Christmas tree orna- ments, why not try putting together some dolls from red and green wool? Or bake cookies in various sbapes (men, women, belîs, trees, angels, Santas, etc.), and decorate them with col- ored suga r, then varnish them to preserve tbem whole. Bright little toys can be easily adapted to use on the Christmas tree and make prettylittleornaments. 9 If you're really up a tree (no pun intended) abouIt what to give someone, a gift of money i s' really not crass when it's given with a little thougbt. What with prices skyrocketing every day it wiIl probahly be a better choice than you imagined. Given in one of these ways it surely won't seemi cold or imper- sonal: * Enclose cash or check witb a menu from an interesting and unusual restaurant. * On a1 large sheet of colored paper trace the shape of a Christmas tree and cover it with dollar bills held on with invisible stick tape. * Put a check or money into a box of cracker jacks or smal ý1money bag". (Available in a local bank or easy to stitcb up). * Enclose your gift in a symbolic container-in a tiny sewing kit for someone who makes ber own clothes-in a toy watering can from the 5e and 100 store for the gardening enthtusiast-in an inexpensive money clip for anyone. * A gîft certificate will leave the choice to the happy recipient who can use it to advantage at after Christmas sales. * For commuters or city workers try a book of tickets attacbed to a train schedule or a bag of tokens. * A Savings Bond is a good choice because its valueý increases over the years, and your bank wilI put it in a colorful!, seasonal gift envelope. W Vshing you a il SAt his time of the year, A plentiful mensure of TUIstTIIJkIuREURa Arthur and Monica Gray of' Service Station Um1~ and ~ Flower Pot Restaurant ' Hwy. 115 and 3à R.Orono IcJ-------Y'-- »r l. e-er ». - e-le »- r-»r »- r--e e. rhx . l-. îK A season' to brighten young eyes, as sparkling and glowing as the lighted Christmas baube ... 0 beautiful Season of Joy! George andKay Moore Steve, Doug and Brian of Mo reElec ila- Ltd. 623-5901 9 Church Street, Bowmanvitle Frederick C. Tippins, faunder of Frederick's Pharmacy Limited, and his family extend sincere wishes for a Very Merry Christ mas and Happy New Year ta ail their friends. Mr. Tippins is now Chief Pharmacist at the Pharmacy Depariment of Memorial Hospital Bowmanville. Christmas time is ýone of those occasions when we extend our sincere thanks and appreciation for the fiendly relations we haveý been privileged to enjoy. Attempting to avoid comme rcialism and yet expressing oui fi b lnqs sincerely, we are this year contributing to The Hospital for Sick Children, ami through thé Shriners to Crippled Children's Fund and the Burns Insàtitute.! We truly believe that Christmas should be a tmofhope for those Mess fortunate than ourselves. The Management ami Staff of our company extend best wishes for' A"VER'Y MERRY CHIRISTMAS AND A A IIPY ANDi PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR PRESTON TRANSPORT LIMITED y MOVINO STORAGE LTD. A etter worlfor ai of us ... That's our ýàwish for Christmas M and the new year. GRANT MENZIES ÀMOTORIS1976 LTD. 1250 Dundas St. W. i Whitby M SPhane 668-6971 728-2822