Presépio is Portuguese for "Nativity Scene". Follow along as we build this year's version of a long family tradition. Mai e Pai (Mom & Dad, in Portuguese) started this tradition with just a few figurines bought in a Paris airport, to hundreds of pieces lovingly collected or hand-crafted over the decades and across two continents.

Click here for Wikipedia's description...


20 December, 2011

Starry, starry night...

I will let this slideshow speak for itself.  Today, sister and fabulously sophisticated nieces came by for a mix of cover-letter-writing assistance, Presépio landscaping, and, most wonderfully, tableau creation!
I commissioned Tessie to create a Starry Night backdrop for the angel orchestra.  While we all helped a little, the overall work was Tessie's.
Best part...When I suggested including several celestial objects, like planets, galaxies, and comets, Emi & Tessie were immediately inspired to paint in an angelic version of everyone's favorite bygone yellow lab, Comet!
(Note - please disregard the construction equipment and the lack of fine-tuning...it is still a work-in-progress!)

12 comments:

  1. I think it is cool that your Presépio is different every year. It keeps it in the foreground rather than relegating it to the background. I was just at a friend's house where they use the same artificial tree every year but each year it acquires new ornaments. You can barely see the tree now.

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  2. Ralph- some folks tell me that it would be great if I could find a way to put it "under glass" or somehow preserve it year over year.
    Or even just leave it up all year round!! (Now THAT alternative is almost tempting...) ;)

    Your observation is spot-on - it would recede into the background.

    Plus, that would be so completely at odds with an important part of how it grew under my parents stewardship - it's a reason for gathering; for family and friends to stop by and help; and to unleash a bright spurt of creativity.
    Our village, nice as it is, will never be the same place twice!

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  3. very impressive, keep up the good work! it just seems to expand and get better every year - your elf worker count must be growing!

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  4. Yes - a very good start to this year's presepio!! We arrived at around 11:45 and things got off to a slow start - BUT - after we were served a delectable lunch (kudos to Phil) of pigs in a blanket, we were were off! Tessie to paint, Emily to work on cover letters for her job hunt, and me to work on the "square". Emily did stop in for a break to help out on the painting and other projects (her interior design degree coming in very handy) and Tereza just ran around telling everyone what a great job they were doing. She did not, however, like my stone wall for Sheila's house and I notice there were no pictures of it posted on this blog. She has undoubtedly demolished it!! Her excuse will be that I never did get a building permit for it and it does not comply with zoning restrictions. Oh well!!!

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  5. Que bonito! Desculpem não ter escrito mais cedo mas sempre que tentei acabei por enviar um e-mail ao Hans!!!!!!!!!!!! hehehe que burrice!
    Nice to see Comet again, so you see he keeps garding you from the sky!
    Go on with this beautiful work and thanks for sharing with us!
    Beijinhos muitos - Sven, Kurt, Ward, Hans e Graça
    P.S. I'll try the Anonymous now ;-)

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  6. I love the Comet!! Everything looks great!

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  8. Fantástico Teresa :)
    Já tinha vindo procurar o teu Presépio mas foi cedo demais... ainda estava o do ano passado. Bravo à Emily and Tessie... o céu está lindíssimo.
    Beijinhos e saudades para todos, vou estar atenta até ao dia de Natal, para ver como fica.

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  9. Ana - actually, your stone walls ARE still in place! With helpers of any age, I try to leave their "efforts" in place, no matter how much strength of will I must summon to keep me from going back and "re-arranging"... :D
    They were not highlighted in this post because the rest of their landscaping is not yet complete!!

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  10. Thanks Michelle - we ALL love the Comet!

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  11. My oh my what a difference this year's elves have made - but wait - where is Santa Claus's sleigh and with its eight tiny reindeer?!

    I hope when we come up that we will be hearing the cherubim and seraphim singing from on high!

    Great work y'all!

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  12. Ines F.A. said - Beautiful in every sense: criative, social, familiar, full of live and light. One suggestion - to pass the scenes more slowly so that we can appreciate them fully!
    E ainda venho a tempo pois ate dia de Reis ainda e Natal!

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