Christmas Nativity Village Scene (version 2.0)

Since we've built our Christmas Nativity Village,

each Christmas we take the chance to upgrade it a bit further.

This instructable details mainly the rebuild and expansion steps.

Check my other instructable for the initial step details.

Hope you like it !

!! Merry Christmas !!

After each Christmas we pack all the decorative figures, scenario pieces,
electric appliances and even the solid structure.

Before each Christmas we unpack all items and bring to the scene
new ones that we've bought or made in between.

The solid sctruture is reassembled and also expanded.

The main materials are construction foam, adhesive tape, hot glue and paints.

Also needed are a pallet, some cardboards and boxes and styrofoam (all used/reclaimed from garbage).

Rubber gloves are mandatory; hot glue gun is needed.

The mountain base is made of used pallet and used cardboards, assembled in a mountain shape.

Styrofoam is molded to shape the river and other parts of the scenario.

All fixed with tape.

Maintenance holes are open at the back to access the electrical wires and connections (lights and water pump).

The cardsboards and styrofoam parts are disguised with construction foam. The easiest way to build a mountain.

Note: construction foam smells a bit; better to do it with windows open and air circulation

Once the foam has dried it is time to paint it a little.

Just to disguise the yellow foam look and to get a bit of sand/dirt feeling.

Hint: Just a few touches of paint are needed. Next steps will cover this base with (ah ah!) natural elements.

Note: paint smells a bit; better to do it with windows open and air circulation

After the base mountain is done, it is time to test and adjust the placement of all the decorative figures, with some taste and logical sense.

Hint: be carefull with scale. There are different sizes of houses and figures; try to stick to a single scale. If not possible, try to arrange it all with attention to proportions.

All the electrical appliances must be connected and its wires and connectors hidden.

Water pump for the river and pond, air pump for the cauldron soup to boild and bubble, electricity for the lights and, the last but not the least, for the boar to roast.

We have a mix of sources: some are 220V; some are low voltage with power adapter; some are battery powered.

We try to use a lot of natural elements, to bring authenticity to the scene.

Some small rocks and some herbs, twigs, small branches and alike.

And we place it as natural as possible.

It's a joy to see it become Vivid.

This year the scenario reaches 3 meters long for 2 meters wide
and almost 1 meter high.

It poses some problems:
to access the central area from the borders and to connect all the wiring underneath.

Just some minor details along the way.