The Villages - December 2020 - 44

COLLECTORS
SHOW & TELL
LINDA SAMUELS,

a Collector of
Nativity Sets

When Villages resident Linda Samuels thinks of Christmas, she imagines hundreds of nativity sets arranged on
plywood bases in a small church in Oswego, New York. Candlelight illuminates the room, a lively flickering that plays
against the faces of old friends.
The church had first hosted outdoor nativity events,
with members decked out in costumes. Linda and her
husband Bill were volunteers, but the cold winds on
the shores of Ontario spurred some creative thinking. " I decided there had to be something better for
me to do, " Linda said. " I'd seen other churches
hold nativities by candlelight - that sounded
like a really good idea. "

44	

DECEMBER 2020

Her own collection had begun with four nativity sets once owned by her aunt.
" She'd passed away in Ohio, so my parents
gave me the sets, thinking I'd like them, " she
said.
Linda presented her idea and she and other
church members began compiling additional
nativity sets to display the following year.
" Our church members were really creative
and we didn't have a very big church hall, " she
said, describing the platform members built using plywood on tops of the pews. " We started
with two rows and it just grew from there. We
had lots of candles going - it was stunning. After that, I started more seriously collecting, as did
others in our congregation. We continued to hold the event
year after year. "
At its peak, the collection boasted 200 nativity sets. By
that time, Linda had a trained eye and was always on the
hunt for interesting nativities she could add to the annual
display.
" After-Christmas sales were good, and when we traveled,
I always picked them up when I could, " she said. " In Lake
Placid, New York, I found a unique cut-out. In Daytona
Beach, I found a set made out of driftwood. A friend brought
one back from San Diego for me, and lately, I've just been
collecting nativity ornaments. "



The Villages - December 2020

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The Villages - December 2020 - Contents
The Villages - December 2020 - 1
The Villages - December 2020 - 2
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