Each year, it has become a bit of a ritual for Pastor Kari Lankford to unpack her growing nativity collection, which exceeds 350 sets and display it throughout St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, where she pastors 

This year she expects them to be up through Jan. 6 for public display. 

There are a variety of depictions of the nativity, which typically are a manger scene with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Sometimes the sets also include animals or shepherds and wise men. 

Lankford said approximately half of the nativities have been gifted to her by her husband, who previously was employed at the now-closed Lion and Lamb gift shop in downtown Salem. 

This nativity Advent calendar is a valued piece of Pastor Kari Lankford’s 350+ set nativity collection, which is displayed in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church over the holiday season. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

Ronald worked in the office there and was assigned the responsibility of ordering nativity sets, seemingly experienced at curating Kari’s growing collection. 

She explained that she began collecting nativities as a youngster with her mother gifting her one of her first as part of a Precious Moments’ collection. 

After that, apparently it was the more the merrier, as both family and friends would gift her ones that were encounter in their travels whether it was a holiday or just because. 

Lankford said in addition to the three per year she became accustomed to receive from her husband, who were pick the most unique examples he could find, she also sometimes would stumble across “orphaned” nativity scenes on the church’s back steps. She would adopt them for her collection.

Today, her collection exceeds 300 different sets. 

Two gifts that Pastor Kari Lankford received for her nativity collection included this Hummel nativity, on left from Vivian’s Collectibles in Columbiana, and this music box from her mother, who acknowledged her contribution to Lankford’s habit. Both along with the other 350-plus sets are on display at the church that Lankford pastors, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Leetonia. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

A few nativities came with St. Paul’s when she came here to pastor; however, they were a little underwhelming, so she thought the church was the proper place to honor Jesus and his legacy. 

“My oldest set is one that my mom originally bought from Woolworth’s in the mid-60s,” she explained, adding that she inherited it when her mom upgraded the family set. 

It is now proudly displayed on a table among later sets that featured color. 

Shelves are bursting at the seams with her various collections. 

She has nativity puzzles, nativities from foreign lands, homemade wall hangings, collectibles from creators like Hummel as well as both hers and the church’s original Nativity sets. 

Nativity sets also come in puzzle form, as this collection of puzzles is displayed as part of Pastor Kari Lankford’s 350-plus set collection in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

The church’s original set, which is somewhat modest in appearance, is estimated to have been at St. Paul since the 1950s, as it is remembered by her secretary who had seen it at the church as a child. 

Lankford agrees that the nativities are a labor of love, which used to take her weeks to put up throughout the church before the Christmas holiday. 

However, these days she gets help, and it only took two days to put up. 

However, some troubleshooting was available, as sometimes a Mary would end up in the wrong nativity set and so on. However, she is still happy for the extra hands. 

For anyone wanting to view her vast nativity display, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Lankford is hosting viewings from 5-6 p.m.  Wednesday, Dec. 17; and 4-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, 27 and Jan. 3, and by appointment through the week. 

Family and friends bring Pastor Kari Lankford nativity sets from foreign lands for her collections. This set hails from Peru. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

This small nativity set was gifted by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church for years to its Sunday school students, and Pastor Kari Lankford has added one to her nativity collection that is on display within the church for the holidays. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

Yet another nativity set gifted to Pastor Kari Lankford of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church from her mom. This one in the form of a tree. Lankford acknowledges she has to show up about early during the Christmas season to turn on her power-generated sets and make sure they have fresh batteries. She has 350-plus sets in her nativity set collection. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

Now front and center, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church’s original nativity set use to grace a table in the ladies’ parlor instead of a celebrated place alongside other nativity sets in Pastor Kari Lankford’s 350-plus set collection. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)