Décor with a Story: A Christmas Nativity Collection by Matt Kesler

Hallmark Illustrator Matt Kesler artfully interprets the story of the Nativity and celebrates the hope that was born on Christmas with his stunning collection available at Gold Crown stores and on Hallmark.com now. Matt’s friend and fellow artist Sam L. got her hands on the collection and displayed it in her home in the loveliest way. Here she shares her approach to Christmas and her love for Matt’s collection.

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As the holidays approach, I always reassure myself that I will be cool, calm, and collected, and that I’ll spend time contemplating the true meaning of Christmas. Then that crazy time warp happens where we go from Halloween to New Years, and I find myself scrambling to find gifts, decorate the house, visit family, make all the holiday parties, and wrap up year-end work stuff. Before I know it the holidays have passed, it’s my mid-January birthday, and I’m another year older.

 

That’s why I love Matt’s Nativity collection. The beautifully crafted sculptures, prints, and tiles are helping me tell the story of Christmas before it whizzes by—but also without looking like I’m jumping the gun on Christmas decorations. The warm images help me stay grounded, and I love being able to tell the Nativity story in vignettes around our home instead of cramming it all into one tiny manger scene on our mantel.

This collection is especially poignant for me since I’m due to have a baby on December 24th, Christmas Eve. I sometimes look at my favorite sculpture in the collection, Joseph leading pregnant Mary on the donkey, and try to imagine what it was like for her. This collection is a timeless take on the Christmas story, and I love the idea of taking these pieces out every year and telling that story to my kids. Matt has given us a beautiful reminder of where to keep our focus when the season gets inevitably crazy.