(Editor’s note: DeeDee Wood is the owner of Black Cat Curiosities, an online antiques research and sales venue.)
In the Christian faith, during the Christmas season, a nativity scene, creche or manger scene is a special addition in to holiday décor, depicting the birth of Jesus.
Some antique creche displays vary in the characters included, but it is a sure sign when one is displayed, indoors or out, that the holiday season has begun.
Nativity scenes, or manger scenes, include the guiding star of Bethlehem, the three wise men or Magi and their camels, baby Jesus in a manger, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, the Angel Gabriel, and a variety of animals — such as sheep, donkeys and oxen.
The scene is usually the crowd of people surrounding the baby, with the star of Bethlehem often times depicting rising up over the barn or sometimes a cave.
Gifts are sometimes depicted too, being placed by the traveling Magi to honor baby Jesus, such as chests with frankincense and myrrh.
Sometimes baby Jesus is not put into the scene until Christmas Eve, in the tradition that he wouldn’t be present before that time. 
The focal point of most creche scenes is the baby in the manger, with Mary and Joseph near the crib.
St. Francis of Assisi, an Italian friar, is presumed to be the first creator of a creche scene, recreating the history of Christmas, according to the Christmas Gospel of Luke.
In 1223, he was said to have used people and living animals to represent the Gospel and narrative of the birth of Jesus, feeling the true meaning of the season was being forgotten.
He used a setting of the woods and a cave near his monastery in Greccio, Italy to recreate the famous scene.
Within a century of the St. Francis depiction, almost every church in Italy would take up the practice of representing the birth of baby Jesus in a creche scene.
Due to convenience and indoor options, statues and then smaller scale scenes were also used.
This early practice in the religious centers of Christianity and creche scenes paved the way for décor for modern homes.
Both Catholic and Protestant faiths utilize the creche scene to represent the nativity.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Magi, often depicted in a nativity scene, actually followed the Star of Bethlehem a year after the birth of Jesus to his home to visit, showing that a creche scene is not always historically accurate, representing the three wise men alongside shepherds, Mary, Joseph and Jesus in one setting.
In the antiques world, vintage nativity scenes can be made out of wood, wax, clay, metals of all types, and later, plastic.
Full-scale outdoor vintage examples often use wood or plastic to depict the scene, and some even contain lights to illuminate the night.
The earliest creche scenes in Italy were made from terra cotta.
They can vary in size to table top versions, larger floor models, and entire outdoor, life-size creche scenes, complete with straw and life-like characters, often found outside of places of worship, such as churches.
Front yard displays in front of people’s homes can also be seen during the Christmas season.
Some collectors add pieces each year, creating a tradition, which is for them, the true meaning of the season, just like St. Francis and his endeavors.
Some of the most famous nativity scenes in the world include New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art 18th century scene called the Neapolitan Nativity, placed at the foot of a rather large Christmas tree, the Art Institute of Chicago’s more than 200 figure creche, and Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, with a creche display made of marble, said to be the world’s oldest, dating back to 1284.
