193 Nativity Scenes and Counting

by CNS · December 25, 2014

BY SAM LUCERO

Every Christmas season, Verna Bechards home is transformed into a gallery of Nativity sets. Scenes of the first Christmas in Bethlehem fill nearly every curio cabinet, coffee table, mantel, window sill, hutch and cupboard in her spacious New London, Wisconsin, home.

Verna Bechard holds one of the nearly 200 Nativity sets she has collected over six decades. (Photos: Sam Lucero, The Compass)

Today the collection of Nativity sets numbers 193, with 30 from foreign countries.

Mrs Bechard purchased the first set in 1950 to replace one her mother owned.It was [made of] painted plaster of Paris and the creche itself was made out of cardboard. I figured it was old and thought we should have a new one, she said.

Twenty-two years later, she bought a second one in Las Vegas. She explained she was there with her husband, Dick, who was attending a convention.

I went to the gift shop at the hotel we were at and I saw this Nativity set, she said. I thought, oh my kids would really like that [but[ I couldnt afford to buy it. So she went to play a slot machine and hit a jackpot. I went right down to the gift shop and bought it.

After that, the collection just started to grow. One here and one there, she told The Compass, newspaper of the Green Bay diocese. Whenever my husband and I would go anywhere, I would buy one. The kids, after they were out of college and working, every Christmas they would come with new ones. It just kind of got out of hand.

The Nativity sets come in all shapes and sizes and are made of a variety of materials, such as glass, ceramic, cloth, plastic, pewter, wood, coconut shell and corn stalk.

She also has a small Christmas tree that hangs on a wall decorated with Nativity ornaments, many given to her by grandchildren. Those are not counted as part of the 193 Nativity sets, she added. Nor are the Nativity pillows, paintings or artwork given to her.

This Nativity set is one of 193 which Verna Bechard displays in her home. She bought her first set for her mother in 1950 to replace an older one.

Mrs Bechard taught Grade 2 catechism in various parishes where she worshipped for 46 years. She has received small Nativity sets as Christmas gifts from parish children she taught.

When Verna and Dick, who died in 2011, celebrated their 50th anniversary on August 6, 2010, their seven children and 15 grandchildren held a surprise party at a local country club. All of the grandchildren dressed as characters from the first Christmas animals, angels, Wise Men, shepherds and the Holy Family. It was a living Nativity which Mrs Bechard will never forget.

Last Christmas, her daughter-in-law photographed every Nativity set and created eight photo albums, one for Verna and one for each of her children.

Mrs Bechard enjoys sharing the collection with others.

A lot of people have come through to see them, she said. I always have the kids from the Catholic school come through.

Mrs Bechard said her favourite sets include a glass set; the one she bought for her mother; and the original one her mother owned from the late 1930s.

I would say the one from my mother would have special meaning after I decided it wasnt so bad, added Mrs Bechard. – CNS