Nothing to do with bikes.
 

I thought you might be interested in an old Spanish custom. Amongst the Christmas decorations, all Spanish houses have a Belén (the Spanish word for Bethlehem). This is a model of the stable where Jesus was born. One of my hobbies is making them, & if any one sees one of my models, & asks me to make one for them, I use any spare time the following year, making them, out of any spare bits of wood, MDF board, etc. The "gravel" is the grit our budgerigars have, & the "sand" is fine sawdust. I use any old remnants of paint, so they cost me virtually nothing, & I can give them as presents the following year.

This is our Belén.
http://i39.tinypic.com/11ta1p4.jpg

This is the one I've been working on this year, for one of my grand daughters. She wanted a pond, so I used a scrap of broken mirror.
http://i43.tinypic.com/2rr9t9w.jpg

You might notice a VERY strange custom. Every Belén has a figure of a man with his trousers down, taking a crap! Don't ask me why - it's just one of those strange Spanish customs. :)

If any of the family in England want one, I have to design them so that they flat pack, to fit in a suitcase. This is one I made for Jan's nephew.
http://i41.tinypic.com/2mow9dh.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2zgah60.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/nytgf6.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/2u89o46.jpg

Re: Nothing to do with bikes.
 

Had to use another page - it won't let me upload more than 5 pictures in any one post.

http://i43.tinypic.com/4s194w.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/fazcxj.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/f295rc.jpg

I put a low wattage light in them all, so that the interior of the stable is lit up.

I'm not a religious person, but I do think that it adds to the true meaning of Christmas. :)

Re: Nothing to do with bikes.
 

How much you gonna hook me up with one of those for. Of course the shipping would cost me a billion dollars, but hypothetically speaking? My wife wanted me to ask.

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Nice work! Cool hobby. Not too sure about El caganer. Kinda cool that they made Obama into one, though. I'd love to get my hands on an Obama El caganer!

Re: Nothing to do with bikes.
 

Cool stuff Alan. Very creative work. Two thumbs up from me. Merry Christmas.

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Like I said, they cost me virtually nothing to make. They just take time, but being retired, I have plenty of that. The only problem is, that to make them flat pack, for transport, I can't make them as intricate as I like. I'm afraid that the ones Jan takes to England are the poorest of poor. I certainly wouldn't want anything less than the best to be shipped halfway round the world. Every one I make, I try to make it better than the one before. :)

Re: Nothing to do with bikes.
 

Alantf, you are truly a giver. Definitely a labor of love to create these gifts. A big well done.

Re: Nothing to do with bikes.
 

Like. Beats the hell out of birdhouses. The guy taking a crap - we have to have more on that - that is superweird even by Euro standards!

I'd like my Manger with the three wise men on a Yamaha, a Suzuki and a Kawasaki (they can be parked outside the manger if the WM are inside with the loot.) Instead of the dude taking a dump, how about Sarah Palin gutting one of the sheep? (Name your price.)

Here's an overseas shipping idea - build it with a wooden "cover" that goes over the whole shebang so it's basically a box. I know it's extra work, but it kind of adds to the longevity of it for storage too... just take the cover off after Thanksgiving, and presto! Instant Christmas.

Re: Nothing to do with bikes.
 

We keep ours in a large plastic box. The Belén sits on the flat lid, & the box goes over the top. That's fine for static storage, but just imagine it in transit! Thrown around, upside down, used to stand/sit on, bounced about on a truck. The result would be a pile of splinters & sawdust at the end of its journey. :sad:

Re: Nothing to do with bikes.
 

[attachment=0:21lks46t]Picture 010.jpg[/attachment:21lks46t]
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Thought I'd add a few pictures of this year's effort. It's for one of my grandaughters. She's just moved apartments & hasn't got a convenient table to stand it on, so I've had to make one.

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Very impressive Alan. You are really good at these. Thanks for sharing the pics.

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Impressive Alantf. You will never be accused of an idle mind or hands. I'm sure your grand daughter will enjoy it as much as you enjoyed making it.

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Beautiful work from a giving heart. Scrap mirror for the pond... what a mind! A great use of scrap material and keeps the mind active. Whether you call it a Manger, Nativity, Belén or Creche - You are the master :bow:

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I completely forgot about this thread.
Well done, old bean.

Re: Nothing to do with bikes.
 

in some places of the world, traditions mean more than shopping, spending and in the store at the middle of the night.

This is this year's belen. It's for my grandaughter's, boyfriend's, parents. I've not done any figures this year, because they've got a box full.

First time i've seen this thread.

Thats a pretty cool hobby. Very nice!

Alan, let me know if everything is in the right place.

That's fine, thanks. There seems to be four missing on page one, but it doesn't matter, because I reckon everything's covered.

Alan,
Glad you were able to keep this thread going. These are great and I enjoy them each year.

Really glad you like 'em. I didn't make one last year, due to breaking my femur, and not being able to stand at my bench for any length of time. this year's is for my grandaughter's boyfriend's sister and family (what a mouthful!) Again, no figures because they have plenty. Yesterday they sent me a bottle of wine and a box of cherry liquers as a thank you.Both my favourites!) I've already got a request for next year's, so after Christmas I'll have to start planning it.

xmas 2015 3.jpg

xmas 2015 4.jpg

Very impressive! It is nice to see a family tradition that reminds us what Christmas is all about when so many in this country are trying to take the birth of Christ out of it. Kudos. Merry Christmas to everyone.