Photo by Jen Brodal/MDN Carmen Lien’s Nativity collection spans the decades, with more than 250 Nativities.

When Carmen Lien was 13 years old, her mother gave her a cardboard Nativity set. That first paper Nativity sent Lien on a path to a lifetime of enjoyment in collecting Nativities. Lien, Minot, said she has lost count at 250 and is certain she has surpassed 300 by this point.

From decorative collector plates with extraordinary detail to music boxes, ornaments and snow globes, her Nativity sets come in all shapes and sizes, representing Lien’s favorite account, the birth of Jesus Christ.

“I love them all, and I come in here and sit and admire them and thank God for sending his son so we can be saved,” Lien said.

Now with a separate sitting room for her shelves and shelves of Nativities, Lien describes starting out with just a half a shelf full. From that start, she has formed an incredible and diverse collection. Many were given to her from friends and family, as Lien said happens when people catch wind of a collector.

Lien has Nativity sets from Mexico, Peru and Hawaii. They all have distinct colors and textures and materials, and Frankincensely, there’s nothing she enjoys Myrrh then looking for unique Nativity sets. One set she found at a thrift store — a simple nativity mold painted gold. Lien said she thinks it’s rather ugly but that makes it interesting.

Lien said she now leaves her Nativities on display year-round and rearranges and cleans them three times a year. She hasn’t made any decision on what will happen to all the Nativities someday when she goes to see the real Jesus, but she likes the idea of having them available for friends and family to take a set that reminds them most of her.

Recently, Lien started a new collection of elephants, and for similar reasoning.

“Elephants take care of their own,” Lien said. “If there is an elephant too weak to stand, elephants will help prop each other up. This is what my church, Grace Fellowship, outside of Burlington, has adopted as our theme, like we should take care of each other.” Sounds like someone else we know from the manger.