The beautiful olive wood ¾ scale crèche figures hand-carved, hand-painted and gilded in Italy were a highlight of the famed Vancouver Woodward’s Department Store Christmas windows from 1955 until the early 1990’s. Many of the Woodward’s displays featured moving figures with accompanying soundtrack and lighting but this striking nativity scene was always the centerpiece of the seasonal display.
In 1993, the Hudson’s Bay Company acquired the assets of Woodward’s. Many of the Woodward’s display window pieces were moved to Canada Place to be enjoyed by new generations of Vancouverites at Christmastime, however, the Bay continued the Woodward’s tradition by displaying the nativity scene inside the Seymour street entrance of the downtown store during Advent and Christmas.
In the late fall of 2013, Christ Church Cathedral gratefully accepted the Hudson Bay’s offer of the loan of this wonderful piece of Vancouver’s heritage to display in the church during Christmas and Epiphany of 2013. The nativity scene was placed in the West Chancel alcove of Christ Church Cathedral beginning in mid-December and was enjoyed by thousands during recent weeks. On Epiphany, January 6th the set was moved to the East Chancel gallery and will remain displayed there until Candlemas, February 2nd, 2014, the Christian Feast Day celebrating the presentation of the child Jesus and his first entry into
the temple.
The wonderful news for 2014, which just happens to be the 125th Anniversary of Christ Church (Christ Church was a parish church up until it became the Cathedral church of the Diocese of New Westminster in 1929) is that the Hudson’s Bay have gifted the nativity set to the church, a generous and thoughtful Christmas gift that will be shared by all who visit the church at the corner of Burrard and Georgia in downtown Vancouver during the Christmas/Epiphany season for decades to come.
Images: Top and homepage. The nativity set as it looked displayed in Christ Church Cathedral's West Chancel Alcove in 2013 (PHOTO - JP Henry). Right, the Baby Jesus. Lower left, a close-up of the Shepherd with the wooden flute.