Nativity Shepherd

Nativity Shepherd Ornament

s I thought how to embody the adoration of the shepherds in one figurine, I reached into my childhood memories. I remembered the shepherd figurine from my mom’s Nativity scene. It depicted a young lad carrying a sheep on his shoulders. And, I remembered the many shepherds and peasant figurines of my grandmother’s Nativity set. I also remembered rummaging through the closet for the perfect shepherd outfits for my children for the Living Nativity Scene. It is not surprising that I designed the Nativity Shepherd ornament inspired by all these memories.

This delightful keepsake is a wonderful addition to your Christmas ornaments collection. Retell the story of the Annunciation to the Shepherds as your children decorate the Christmas Tree with this collectible. Finally, pair the shepherd ornament with its companion, the Peasant Girl, for a charming set. Add the rest of the ornaments in this collection for a magnificent Nativity scene display.

A Special Aguinaldo

Sorting through my memories, I found singing aguinaldos (a folk genre of Christmas music) one of my fondest ones. I remembered all the wonderful Venezuelan aguinaldos that my siblings and I sang as children every Advent Sunday by the Christmas Tree. We would also sing with friends at holiday gatherings and we would sing them with our choirs. In fact, these unique Christmas songs are full of colors and unorthodox imagery of the Christ Child. Particularly, I love the aguinaldo named “Si la Virgen Fuera Andina” for its whimsical lyrics. Thus, this aguinaldo was in part my inspiration for some of the shepherd ornaments.

The Chorus of my Favorite Aguinaldo

Si la Virgen fuera Andina
Y San José de los llanos
El niño Jesus sería
Un niño Venezolano

If the Virgin were Andean
And Saint Joseph from the plains
The Child Jesus would be
A Venezuelan child

Nativity Shepherd Ornament Design Process

I dressed most of the shepherds using a traditional palette of drab greens and browns shades. Given that my favorite aguinaldo talks about Mary being Andean, some shepherds resemble Venezuelan shepherds from the Andes Mountain Ridge with a bright color palette. I chose an array of blues, oranges, and reds for these unique ones.

I hand painted the shepherd’s face giving him brown eyes, and a moustache. Then, I use brown yarn to make his beard and, gave him a short cape made from faux sheep’s fur. Next, I also provided him a shepherd’s staff made from sticks I gathered from the yard. He also has a leather pouch hanging from his shoulders. And I gave him a short cloak that covers his head. Finally, to complete the character, I made a sheep from white pompoms and placed it by his side.

Specifications

Year Designed

2013

Size

Actual sizes may vary slightly, approximately 2.0” x 2.0” x 3.5”

Materials

Cardboard, fabric, trims, yarn, ribbons, beads, paint, pompoms.

Note: Given the handmade nature of the ornament, all ornaments are different. The pictures depict just one sample of the ornament.