PROVO -- Christmas as it should be.
That's how Holly Zenger describes Nativity scenes. Not lit-from-within Santa Clauses, reindeer with red noses or Mickey Mouse dressed in seasonal gear.But a depiction of what Christmas is all about, the birth of Jesus Christ, she said.
"I love the birth of Christ," she said. "I just love Christmas and all that it means. My mom and dad were prophetic when they named me Holly."
Zenger, Midway, collects Nativity scenes, or creches -- the French word for crib. She has gathered more than 400 from around the world, 100 of which are on display with 300 owned by others at the LDS chapel at 1915 N. Canyon Road.
She purchased her first Nativity about 35 years ago.
"I bought a little plaster of Paris one from Grand Central," Zenger said.
She took it home and spray-painted it gold.
Zenger now collects from all over the world because the different cultures show a plethora of interpretations of the Nativity. In one South American piece, a turkey is prominently featured because in that area, the turkey is almost revered. Many creches use animals indigenous to that country and not the typical barn animals usually depicted.
Her favorite in the show is one she made herself using photographs of her grandchildren as the characters of Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus and the shepherds.
"There's three wise men and three wise women," she told several people who asked her about it Monday. "Didn't you notice that?"
Zenger is most proud of what she calls creche balls. She made 80 to 100 ornaments from Christmas cards and even postcards molded over Styrofoam balls.
She showed off several that are on permanent display at her home, including an alabaster relief from Italy and a Native American depiction of Mary and Christ that she bought at the San Jose flea market for $25.
"Aren't these beautiful? I never put these away," Zenger said.
Many of her favorites, she said, show Joseph, something many of the earlier creches did not do.
"Here he's shown as nurturer," she said, picking up one where he held a lantern standing over Mary.
Another treasure shows Mary nursing the baby, she said, a rare representation.
Her creches come in all sizes, from the size of a walnut shell to a wall-size cutout, and are worth from $1.50 to thousands of dollars. Her favorites, she admits, are the scenes she found as bargains.
"Not the most expensive, but the ones with sentimental value," Zenger said.
Zenger presented an exhibit of her Nativities for nine years in Palo Alto, Calif. She moved to Midway 18 months ago and she and her husband, Jack, opened their home to the public last Christmas season. But the traffic was too much for their home, as 4,300 people descended on the exhibit. This year, she was grateful for the opportunity to display with the other collectors in an easily accessible area.
A number of pieces owned by other local collectors are on display at the church, including many owned by Walter Whipple, a collector of Polish folk art, and the Rev. William Flegge, priest at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Provo.
Today is the last day of the Christmas creche display. It can be seen until 8 p.m.