Currently on exhibit at the Long Island Community Library is another brilliant display from the clever mind of Karen Boss, the small glass case curator: Borrowed Christmas, which showcases part or all of creches or nativity sets belong to Long Islanders. This is a great exhibit on many levels, especially for those of us who have incomplete creches, or have figures that are broken. But put together we can create a complete creche – very symbolic of life itself. Not all of us have perfect creches, or perfect lives, so it’s lovely to think of a mismatched ragtag group gathering around the baby Jesus.
Also, for those who celebrate Epiphany, the wise men are often placed far from the creche, and as Epiphany draws near, so do the wise men. As Advent progresses, through the birth of Jesus, the scene is incomplete until all draw near, and 12 days later, all are together, worshipping the Christ Child.
To make this display even more interesting we have a menorah. Even though Hanukkah isn’t the Jewish Christmas, there are definitely connections that could be made, to add an extra layer to the month of December.
Come see these lovely manger scene figurines and menorah, contributed by Carlene Barron, Rose Barter, Cheryl Boss, Karen Boss, Mary Caliandro, Candy Dale/Jim Schine, Linda McCann, Nancy Noble, Diane Watts, Betsy Whitman, and Dave Singo (see the December 2018 blog about Dave Singo’s lovely exhibit of his ceramic nativity scene that he created).