Through all the commercialism and gift-giving to Santa and elves on shelves, one Cassville woman is hoping to help locals remember the reason for the Christmas season — the birth of Jesus Christ.
Wife of Cassville United Methodist Church Pastor Jeff Fugitt, Jamie Fugitt has been collecting Nativity scenes for more than 40 years, and more than 120 unique scenes are on display at the church through Jan. 5, 2025.
Fugitt’s first Nativity purchase was in 1983, while she was attending College of the Ozarks.
“The Museum had a little gift shop, and after Christmas, they were cheaper,” she said. “I tink the first few Nativity scenes I had, I didn’t know I was collecting. I bought one here or one there and wouldn’t have called myself a collector. Then, Jeff bought me one when we were in graduate school in the mid- to late-1908s, and I I think that was the point I thought, ‘OK, maybe I collect these.’” Since the ‘80s, Fugitt has amassed nearly 120 scenes herself, many from friends or family who were getting rid of them and knew she collected, and others from travels, gifts or children’s projects.
“Our son has traveled pretty extensively, so I have several from him,” Fugitt said. “I have one from when our daughter went to Ecuador on a mission trip, then I watch flea markets — one I got from SWMO Restore and Builds here in town. Now I’ve only started buying them when they are unusual, and most of mine are quite inexpensive.”
Fugitt pointed to one glass set her husband bought her as likely the priciest, though it wasn’t as expensive as it could have been.
“Joseph’s head was broken off that one, so I’m sure that made the price much, much less,” she said. “We just glued it back on.”
The display features Nativity scenes of all sizes, some paintings and some other crafted scenes. One is a children’s pop out book that hangs from the ceiling, and another is a piece of art Fugitt’s daughter (now 37) made in elementary school. About five in the display came from other collectors, and the scenes come from a wide variety of countries.
“Several are from Mexico and Peru, and I have one from Guatemala, one from Haiti and one from Ecuador,” Fugitt said. “One is from Bangladesh, and another is from Haiti. A couple, one of which Jeff bought me on a trip, came from Bethlehem.”
With so many in her collection, Fugitt said picking favorites is challenging, but the one she gravitated most to is one of the smallest, made of cheap plastic.
“I don’t know why I like it so much,” she said. “The one from Bangladesh we bought at Heifer Village in Little Rock and I like that one a lot because it’s very plain. Most of my favorites, like the first one Jeff bought me, are for sentimental reasons.”
While most of the scenes are glass or porcelain, materials come in a wide variety. Along with wood-carved, there are etched scenes, one carved out of bones of a cow and another seemingly 3D printed.
Fugitt said a big reason she set up the display for the first time at Cassville UMC this year was to allow others to see how many different ways the scene can be depicted.
“I hope people remember the Nativity is really the reason Christians celebrate Christmas, not because of other things,” she said. “It’s because of the birth of Christ. And, I just like the way different cultures can see themselves in the Nativity. It doesn’t have to look like white Americans, although that’s often the way they look. They can have their own skin tone, like the one from Haiti.
“The story of Christmas is for everyone, and we don’t have that much diversity here. That’s one thing I like about Nativities — they’re so, so diverse.”
The Nativity scenes will be on display through Jan. 5, 2025, Fugitt said, and anyone interested in seeing them may visit the church or call to make an appointment. Next year, Fugitt said she hopes to have more set times for viewing and possibly events with refreshments.
Cassville United Methodist Church is located at 601 Gravel St. in Cassville, and people may reach Fugitt at 417847-2328. The church is also hosting a Christmas Eve Candle-Light Service at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, where the scenes will be open for viewing.
