Cindy Nelson has a collection of 52 nativity scenes.
By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times
Cindy Nelson’s mother, Joan Mortensen of Audubon, gifted this nativity scene to her.
Cindy Nelson has a collection of 52 nativity scenes. Her interest in nativity scenes began when she was a young girl.
“I was raised with Jesus being central to Christmas rather than Santa,” Nelson says. “One of my earliest memories is playing with my grandmother’s nativity scene.”
Cindy and her husband, Randy Nelson, are both from the Audubon area. They bought their first house at Lake Panorama in 2009.
This is what sparked Cindy Nelson’s interest in collecting nativity scenes. It was owned by her grandmother, who let Cindy play with it as a child.
Before retiring, Randy Nelson owned and operated Nelson Land Improvement, a conservation contractor business, for 47 years. Cindy was the bookkeeper for their business and also owned a screen-printing business. After she sold that business, she worked in the Audubon County Extension office and, later, the Present Company in Audubon.
Cindy Nelson’s nativity scene collection has grown over the years, yet her favorite remains the one she played with as a child.
“When my grandmother passed away, I was given her nativity scene. There is a small building made of cardboard with a glittery star on top. There is a music box that still plays but not very well. There used to be a light, but it doesn’t work anymore,” she says.
This nativity scene was purchased by Cindy Nelson while she and her husband, Randy, were on a trip to Costa Rica.
“I don’t know how old it is,” Nelson says. “I just know I was playing with it 65 years ago, and it wasn’t new then.”
Nelson’s collection is made up of a wide variety of scenes, some large ones with many pieces, but also some that are small and contained within a single object.
“My favorites are ones given to me by special people,” she says. “My dad, who has passed away, picked out one for me that is a favorite. Randy’s parents gave me one that is special to me. My daughter gave me one, as have other relatives.”
Other favorites are ones Nelson picked up while traveling.
“I have one from Alaska and a few other states,” she says. “We are Danish, and I have two that I purchased when we visited Denmark. I also have ones from trips to Mexico and Costa Rica.”
Many of Cindy Nelson’s nativity scenes were purchased while on vacation. This one is from Alaska.
Nelson usually waits until after Thanksgiving to display her nativity scenes.
“I feel we should focus on giving thanks at that time. I’m lucky to have the freedom to take my time and decorate gradually, so I’m not sure how long it takes me,” she says. “I usually don’t put them all out anymore, and I vary them every year. I probably have half of them out every year, sometimes more.”
By the time Nelson finishes her Christmas decorating, there will be at least one nativity scene in every room and a Christmas tree in most rooms.
The Nelsons have three children and eight grandchildren. Daughter Shelbi Barriage works in the interior decorating business. Her husband, Aaron, is a national account manager for an annuity company. They live in Waukee and have four boys ranging in age from 13 to 20.
This simple four-piece nativity scene was a gift from Cindy and Randy Nelson’s daughter, Shelbi Barriage.
Torrey followed in his father’s footsteps as a conservation contractor, now owning and operating Nelson Tiling. He and his wife, Brittney, live in Kimballton and have a 16-year-old daughter.
Each December, the entire family gathers for a Christmas celebration at the Nelsons’ Lake Panorama home. Cindy’s mother, Joan Mortensen, who lives in Audubon, joins them, as do Cindy’s two brothers. Part of the annual celebration involves the nativity scene collection.
“Our grandkids play a game of counting them while we’re doing the final meal preparations and waiting for everyone to arrive,” Nelson says. “It’s like a treasure hunt, because there are large ones and small ones. I even have some Christmas tree ornaments with nativity scenes on them. Everyone who gets the right number gets a prize.”
Before retirement, Cindy Nelson worked at the Present Company in Audubon. That’s where she purchased this three-piece nativity scene.
“I leave all my Christmas decorations out as long as I can because I love them so much,” she says.