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the stable, the figures - Nativity sets hold special meaning

Story and photos by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

It takes John Reed of Cahokia 42 trips to his basement to bring the boxes of figures and animals and structures to the room where the nativity scene is displayed in his home. It takes up the entire room with its 980 pieces.

Phyllis Dumstorff remembers a tornado that destroyed her family’s belongings in 1968 as she lovingly places the stable — rebuilt by her husband, Bob — in place during the Christmas season.

Paulette Sparling thinks of her grandparents and Christmases of the past as she places figures in the stable her grandfather built for his family in the early years of the 20th century.

These and other families shared their memories with us about a special nativity set, and we want to share them with you. John Reed didn’t intend to turn an entire room of his home into a Christmas village, but that is what happened as he continued to collect figures for his nativity set.

It started when he was about 4 or 5 years old, John said. He was placed in charge of setting up the Christmas crèche (crib). At some point he decided it would be fun if the figures had names, and since he could print by this time, he printed names on the bottom of some of them. One he named “Mitch” since Mitch Miller was a popular personality at the time. Over the years, people began giving John figures to use in his display. Some are made of papier-mâché and some composite materials, he said. “Some are very special,” he said. His 2-year-old grandson helped him set it up this year, and John hopes, some day, to pass his tradition of the Christmas room on to him.

The display has about 300 buildings and some unique figures — a broom salesman, a knife-sharpener, and the animals include a few pigs besides the traditional cows and sheep. Putting up the “sky” is one of the most difficult jobs, he said. At first it was a very dark sky, and then for three weeks he glued individual stars — 30 per day — into the sky to brighten it up. He sets each piece in place and hangs angels above the manger. “I prefer angels,” he said , because “they can be hung” on the walls. To add to the atmosphere of the village, John uses about 200 lbs. of dirt and an additional 200 lbs. of sand in the display. When people see his Christmas display for the first time, he said the reactions are pretty much the same. “People generally say ‘it’s unbelievable,’” he said.

At the home of Phyllis and Bob Dumstorff in Breese, the grandchildren hear their grandmother talk of a terrible tornado in 1968 Clinton County that destroyed the children’s great grandparents’ home.
All that was left of the nativity set was the stable. The set had been a wedding gift to Henry and Clara Zurliene, Phyllis’ parents who were married in 1935.

Packed away for many years, Phyllis was given the stable after her mother’s death. Her husband, Bob, knew that the stable held special meaning for his wife, so he decided to repair it, cutting pieces of bamboo for the roof and putting them in place with tweezers.

With his help, a family heirloom was returned to her. “It looked as authentic as it had looked before the tornado,” she said. Phyllis replaced the figures, a few at a time each year. “However, the simple stable that was the inspiration for my collection is now 72 years old and is the most precious piece.

“Each Christmas, one of my sisters will comment on how nice the simple stable is displayed and we’ll reminisce about the years it was so carefully and lovingly displayed in our childhood home,” Phyllis said.

Paulette Sparling remembers the stable in her grandmother’s nativity set as one her grandfather made in 1915.
Her grandparents lived in Chicago, and raising four small children in the early years of the last century was probably difficult for a horseradish maker. So, he built the stable for the nativity set and wired it for blue lighting for a soft, evening glow for the stable flocked with snow.

“I know it may not be historically correct,” Paulette said, “but it’s the way I remember it.”
Setting up the stable brings back fond memories of her grandmother, Paulette said, days when she would stop to see her on her way home from college classes.

“In those visits, I learned the family history, the family stories,” she said.
Paulette remembers how excited she was as a child when family gatherings would bring the folks together.
The adults sat at the table for grownups and the children sat at another.

“The women always did the dishes while the men talked, smoked and played cards,” she said.
Paulette has shared these and other stories with her children so that the history will be preserved and passed on.
“Each year, we remember our grandparents, parents and other family members through the memories that this crèche evokes,” she said.

The Messenger received from people around the diocese who have special memories associated with their nativity sets.
“I have several nativity sets that hold memories of my father, Paul Wachtel. He built the sets from willow that he obtained from the woods near our home. He made his first set for his wife and then made eight for each of his children. Eventually, he made a set for each of his grandchildren and special friends. In 1993 he made the crib for St. Michael’s in Paderborn that they use each year.”
Joan Killebrew, St. Michael, Paderborn

“I have a very special nativity set that belonged to my grandmother, Emma Ward. She was a lifelong member of cathedral parish. It has no cash value; it is worn and shows signs of the many, many years it sat on the desk she had in her living room on “C” Street. I cherish it because it reminds me so of her, and my Aunt Virginia, who we gave the nickname (“G”). They lived modest lives with no running water, staying warm in winter with coal stoves in the two and a-half room home they shared together for many years. My grandmother lost her sight, and my aunt cared for her. “G” was a very unselfish individual, who had poor sight herself, but always did for others without complaint.
“Christmas decorations were a small plastic tree with little ornaments hanging from it, and the crib set, with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus and the angel — nothing fancy, but it always seemed special to us and to them. My sister and I would exchange small gifts with them, and they would be so appreciative. I remember so well the warmth of the coal stove in the living room and our grandmother rocking in her chair. We would stay with her so our aunt could attend Mass. The Nativity Set rests on that desk in my living room a lasting keepsake.”
Mary Ellen Morck Junker, St. Mary, Belleville

“My husband, Ron, and I were married in November 1956. Naturally we were very excited about our first Christmas as a married couple and so we shopped for a tree, ornaments and of course a crib to place under the tree. We didn’t have a lot of money, so our first tree was pretty sparsely decorated. The crib cost a total of $5.00. Every once in a while, I think about buying a new crib, but this one has survived six children, who moved the wise men forward every year and talked to baby Jesus while staring up at the lights and wondering what would be under the tree on Christmas morning. “Some of our grandchildren help decorate the tree occasionally and everything on our tree is a memory of something. Our first crib is still under our tree 51 years later, and I no longer think about getting a nicer one. This one has too many memories.”
Pat Lanter, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Belleville

“The first year of our marriage in 1964 I took a ceramics class, and my first project was a complete nativity set with the shepherds, animals, wise men and the angel. Since it was my first project, it was done simply, but we have used it every year without fail. “My father-in-law had built a large stable for their nativity set, and when they downsized, my mother- in-law gave us the stable. We used it for about 35 years until it began falling apart, and now I put our nativity set on a ledge by the fireplace. One of Jesus’ hands is missing, and I think of the saying that ‘He has no hands but ours.’ We have purchased for each of our three children a nativity set for their homes.”
Jeanette Schranz, St. Peter Cathedral, Belleville

“When we moved to southern Illinois a few years ago we had to replace our nativity set. I told my husband that I wanted to find one where the Blessed Mother had her arms outstretched in a way that would enable me to place the infant Jesus in her arms. He said ‘good luck’ since most nativity sets have the infant laying in, and attached to, a manger and the Blessed Mother is standing to one side. The first store I visited had the very set I was looking for. The infant Jesus was laying, unattached, in the manger and the Blessed Mother had her arms in the perfect position. I took the set home, made a small blanket from some fabric and wrapped the infant Jesus in it, and laid Him in her arms. Later, when I wrote my granddaughter about this I told her that I don’t think this was luck. ‘All you have to do is ask.’ I also gave some of the leftover fabric to St. Joseph to hold.”
Catherine T. Kelly, St. Joseph, Marion

“I have a soft spot in my heart for nativity sets. My first nativity set was free! It was 36 years ago when I was pregnant with our first child and went to a fish fry at our local Catholic church in St. Louis. My dad took a chance, and put my name on it. I still remember the call on our kitchen phone and my excitement. This was a nativity set that was bigger than the normal size ones — and an expensive one. I guess at the time I was sharing in Mary’s joy of the birth of a baby coming and that made for more excitement. It was the best Christmas present a pregnant woman could have received. Six children later, when I travel I look for nativity sets to add to my collection. Most of the nativity sets stay out all year. When I look at certain sets I can remember the trips taken. It gives me a sense of peace on earth from other areas of the world and is also a reminder of the family unit. They may be of stained glass, metal, ceramic, clay or whatever but still have the same meaning of Jesus’ birth. I have heard people say, ‘Jesus is the reason for the season,’ but the nativity sets in our home remind us of Jesus all year long.”
Darlene Rodden, St. Mary, Carlyle

“My mom (Catherine Heap of cathedral) always took all the boxes from the ornaments, lights and various Christmas decorations and put them under the tree to create a mountain with a white sheet and cotton sheeting. Trees and a lighted village of cardboard houses were added to make a snow scene like none other I can remember. Right below the tree in all its glory was the cave with the cow and donkey, shepherds and sheep, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. The angel was hooked on top the cave announcing Christ’s birth to the world. Off to the side were the three kings who we would moved towards the cave as the feast of the three kings approached. Once Jan. 6 was over, everything was put away in the attic for the next year’s Christmas.
“I still look forward to Christmas at my mom’s, especially to see the nativity cave in all its glory. Thanks for letting me share a special part of my Christmas.”
Tony Heap, Our Lady Queen of Peace, Belleville

“Back when I was single, I bought a delicate porcelain nativity set — eight pieces: Mary, Jesus, Joseph, the three kings, a shepherd and a lamb — at an antique store where I worked. It is painted yet simple. The pieces are delicate because they are tall and thin and have small areas on the bottom to rest on — they can easily fall down. I wanted a manger to put them in so they didn’t get knocked over. My husband, Tom, does a lot of work with wood around our house — planing, refinishing, building. He made me a very plain manger to house my set. What’s really neat about the manger is it looks like a little barn, and it is covered with thin strips of wood from an old barn in Mascoutah that belonged to a friend of his who tore the barn down. It has a lot of meaning for our family since my husband made it. And it is very different from traditional manger sets.”
Nilufer Fries, St. Teresa, Belleville

“Every year when I unpack and place our Nativity set under our Christmas tree, it brings back many wonderful memories. My Dad who passed away in 1988 was very crafty at making things and could fix anything!
“In 1977 he made me and my family a cedar manger for under our Christmas tree. He made one for me and each of my four married siblings, also one for our aunt. After my aunt passed away, my youngest brother was then married and he got that cedar manger.
“In 1966, for our first Christmas after we were married we lived in east Belleville and I walked up to Kresge’s and bought a manger with the figurines attached. We used this under our Christmas tree until I received the cedar manger. My mother had got a beautiful ceramic crib set made by the aunt, and my parents gave us the baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, camels, a donkey, cow and three wise men. This was the set I loved and played with as a child. Every year as I get it out and place it under our Christmas tree, it brings back many beautiful memories of when I was a child growing up and of Christmases long ago!”
Patricia Oelrich, St. James, Millstadt

“It is over 80 years and the large wooden stable was built by my late grandfather, Theodore Kaufhold, a German immigrant who became a contractor in Belleville; his wife, my grandmother, Cecelia Bertelsman Kaufhold, took the streetcar from Belleville to St. Louis to a Catholic religious supply house to purchase the beautiful plaster figures for the stable. It has all been handed down, and we have had the set and displayed it annually for more than three decades. “My mother, Dorothy Raab, a Messenger subscriber, is a spry and bright 92 and lives in an apartment upstairs in our 150-year-old farmhouse in Belleville. She is the last survivor of her six siblings and tells the story of the nativity set as she remembers it from when she was a girl growing up on North 17th Street. Her husband, my father, the late Henry R. Raab, built a wood fence and added it to the set and repaired and refurbished some of the figures over the years. “It is a source of great family pride and my mother and husband and I take great joy in sharing it with family and friends each holiday season.”
Diane Wiggins, St. James, Millstadt