- 1). Select a spot on the front porch that is large enough to contain all of the pieces but is away from the line of the home's traffic.
- 2). Set a piece of fabric on the floor to hold the pieces. While this step is optional, the fabric will protect both the pieces and the floor.
- 3). Place the statues of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the middle of the scene. If you have a manger, place the baby inside and arrange the parents around it. Mary should always be placed closest to the baby. Note, however, that the posture of the statues, which varies by manufacturer, will determine how they are placed. In some sets, Mary, the mother, is sitting or lying down and holding the baby, while Joseph, the father, stands. In other sets, both parents are kneeling.
- 4). Arrange the shepherds on the left or right side of the family. They may appear to be looking directly at the baby or turned at an angle so viewers can see their side profiles instead of their backs.
- 5). Place the three wise men on the other side of the family.You may wish to place them a little further away from the baby than the shepherds, since they arrived after the shepherds in the story. The figures may be turned toward the baby or at an angle.
- 6). Place the animals in the scene. You may put the sheep close to the shepherds and the camels close to the Magi. Alternatively, you may arrange the sheep close to the baby since they symbolize the humbleness of his birth.
- 7). Put the angel behind the holy family or above the scene. Some manufacturers construct the set so that the angel can be suspended above the set.
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