Bethlehem Nativity Church Light Tower

About this piece

A tiered nativity village cast in resin, with a church tower at the centre and the stable worked into the base below it. It stands about thirty centimetres tall on a twenty centimetre round base, which is enough to hold a mantel or an entryway table on its own and not so much that it needs a shelf of its own. The windows and the star above the tower carry warm light, so the piece reads as a lit village rather than a painted one.

The village, from the base up

The stable sits at the bottom with the figures and the animals grouped around it, then the buildings step back and up in tiers to the tower, with the star on top. The palette is muted stone, sand and blue rather than the bright reds of most Christmas decoration, which is what lets it sit next to a wooden mantel without looking out of place. Moulded detail runs the whole way up, so there is something to look at at every level.

What the light does

The windows and the star glow, so the piece works best in a dim room with the tree on behind it. It is decoration that glows rather than a lamp: at a metre or two it reads clearly, and from across a room it is a warm shape. That is the right way to use it, and it is also why it looks better on a low table than on a high shelf under a bright ceiling light.

Resin, and how to move it

Cast rather than assembled, so it arrives in one piece with nothing to fit and nothing to tighten. It is heavier than the size suggests, which is reassuring on a table and a nuisance when you are carrying it. Move it with both hands under the base rather than by the tower, because the tower is the part that would break first and the paint would show a chip immediately.

Where it goes

A fireplace mantel, a dining table centrepiece, an entryway table, a living room shelf, or a church hall display. With thirty centimetres of height and a round base it is happy anywhere it can be seen from more than one side. Keep it clear of anywhere a tail could sweep it off, and away from the damp of a windowsill, since resin and constant condensation are not friends.

Specifications

Type	Illuminated nativity village ornament
Material	Cast resin
Height	About 12 in / 30 cm
Base	Round, about 8 in / 20 cm across
Light	Warm light behind the windows and the star

Setting it up

1. Mantel centre

   Thirty centimetres fills the middle of a mantel without crowding whatever sits either side of it.

2. On a low table

   The light reads better at eye level than from above, so a coffee or console table suits it.

3. Near, not under, a lamp

   A bright ceiling light flattens the windows. The glow does the work in a dim room.

4. Both hands on the base

   Lift it by the round base, not by the tower, and it will survive being moved every December.

In the box

• 1 Bethlehem nativity church light tower

Care

Dust it with a soft dry brush rather than a cloth, because the moulded detail catches fibres and a wet cloth pushes dust into the crevices. Keep it off damp windowsills and out of direct sun. Pack it back in the original box with the base flat so the tower is not carrying any weight while it is stored.

Before it arrives