This year, instead of holding a Crib Service on Christmas Eve, we decided to let the whole village experience the Christmas story whenever they walked past the church.

Using our old church porch during Advent we set up a crib scene using specially cut wooden figures, which were individually decorated by church families. Each week on a Sunday we added figures to the scene, ending with the addition of baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. 

People walking through the churchyard enjoyed seeing the scene as it grew week by week. On Christmas Eve we set up a small crib trail, allowing people to follow the story of the first Christmas in words and pictures finishing up at the crib scene, where they were invited to take one of the Church of England Comfort and Joy booklets.