This is a special time of year when folks are finding ways to express themselves and share their Christmas spirit. Some do it through hobbies—like Ilene Hoffman of North Ogden does with her nativity sets. She has over 1,000 pieces made from all kinds of materials and from foreign countries. She and others displayed their sets at the first Weber County Holiday Festival held at the Golden Spike Event Center over Thanksgiving weekend.
There were 1,600 Nativity scenes representing different countries and cultures. Besides Christian nativity sets the festival included sets representing Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Nearly 8,000 people attended the festival and attendees were asked to bring donations for “Toys for Tots.” Originally, ‘The Crèche’, as it was formerly called, was an annual event of the Pleasant View LDS Stake. It was discontinued last year, but many of its organizers had a larger vision. They decided to invite more congregations and denominations to join together at a larger venue with more participants. The first annual event at the Golden Spike arena appeared to be a great success. Hopefully this holiday event will bring joy to many in the future.
