It's one story told a multitude of ways. And therein lies the beauty of the Nativity.
"Part of what I like about collecting these is that there are so many different materials," said Barb Falzone. "People use anything that they can find to try to tell the story."
It's a story that has always touched Falzone, and that love gave birth to her collection, a celebration of its own.
"For me personally, the story is God come to earth," she said. "And that's big."
The big story is told in so many small ways.
"Some people describe it with infinite detail," said Falzone. "I mean, some of these you can see the veins in the necks of the characters. And then some people tell the story with no faces at all."
It's a great gathering of diversity and commonality that stretches across cultures and countries on every continent. A single simple story is told and retold throughout the world, and at home.
"It's too big to tell, and yet we're compelled to try to," said Falzone. "And that's kind of what's happening here -- just a lot of trying to tell a story that's almost too big to tell."
Much of Falzone's collection came from friends who traveled to distant places. They'd bring her back nativity scenes, and to Falzone they are indeed a very precious gift.
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