The Nativity scene with the manger and all the ceramic figures including Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the shepherds is tucked away in a box somewhere, likely at my mom’s house in Ohio with some of my other stuff I didn’t bring to Arizona when I moved to the Valley nearly seven years ago.

For 70 years, the Arizona Easter Pageant, presented on a stage on the north lawn of the Mesa Arizona Temple, has used drama, music and dance to convey the life of Jesus Christ to huge audiences.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Christmas season brought Martha Stewart one fond memory of her stay in a West Virginia prison. On the Christmas Day episode of her television show, Stewart showed off ornate clay forms of the baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, three camels and others she sculpted at a pottery class at the Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, W.Va.

Our tabletop nativity scene features Baby Jesus, in fistfuls of fake hay, attended by Mary and Joseph, several reclining animals, three wise men and two bowlers.

Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Ahwatukee Foothills will once again be sharing the story of the nativity through use of its outdoor nature trail.

For nearly a decade, Lamb of God Lutheran Church in Ahwatukee Foothills has offered a unique experience to the biblical story of Christmas right in its “backyard.”

The idea that set Lamb of God Lutheran's outdoor live nativity scene apart in Ahwatukee Foothills came from Pastor Scott Martz's son.

You don’t have to be Mormon or Christian to appreciate the magnificence of the annual Easter pageant, “Jesus the Christ,” at the Mesa Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Billed as the largest in the world, it’s a spectacular production that would make Cecil B. DeMille proud.

You don’t have to be Mormon or Christian to appreciate the magnificence of the annual Easter pageant, “Jesus the Christ,” at the Mesa Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Billed as the largest in the world, it’s a spectacular production that would make Cecil B. DeMille proud.

You don’t have to be Mormon or Christian to appreciate the magnificence of the annual Easter pageant, “Jesus the Christ,” at the Mesa Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Billed as the largest in the world, it’s a spectacular production that would make Cecil B. DeMille proud.

Continuing the tradition that has lasted more than three decades, the Mesa Arizona Temple Gardens will again host the spectacular Christmas lights display that is recognized as one of the most beautiful in the state.

A razor-tongued nun who rules her classroom with an iron fist creates an unforgettable living nativity in an effort to figure out who swiped the gold given to the Baby Jesus in the hit comedy “Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold.” Starring longtime “Late Night Catechism” actress Patti Hannon, each show involves the audience as Sister’s pupils and is different from the one before it.

My kids and I have been learning how the Bible is translated into other languages. I am fascinated with the translation into a language called Abau, spoken by nearly 5,000 people who reside along a river in Papua New Guinea. There are not words in this language to express the phrase “Jesus loves me,” so it is translated as “I am in Jesus’ canoe.” What a special image that must be for the native speakers of Abau.

While reading the New Living Translation of Acts 2: 43-47, I had to stop and wonder how conservative “Born-again” Christians, especially those who strongly advocate slashing the social safety net to make up for cutting taxes for wealthy billionaires would respond to this text?

As the Christmas countdown clock ticks away, the kiddos inevitable questions grow more frequent: Is there a Santa Claus? Why do we celebrate Christmas? Who is Baby Jesus?

BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Thousands of tourists and pilgrims gathered in Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations Saturday, bringing a long-missing sense of holiday cheer to Jesus' historic birthplace.

I admit, I'd been putting off seeing Sister's Christmas Catechism, the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts' annual holiday hopeful over at Theater 4301, after early reviews were less than glowing.

Plans to turn an empty lot next to Desert Vista High School into a 49-unit subdivision moved one step forward on Wednesday when the Phoenix City Council approved the developer’s final plat.

A man was indicted Friday by a Maricopa County grand jury on charges of murdering Chandler resident Nisay Kang inside a convenience store she managed at The Peaks at Papago Park apartment complex on the Scottsdale-Tempe border.

A man was indicted Friday by a Maricopa County grand jury on charges of murdering Chandler resident Nisay Kang inside a convenience store she managed at The Peaks at Papago Park apartment complex on the Scottsdale-Tempe border.

My kids and I have been learning how the Bible is translated into other languages. I am fascinated with the translation into a language called Abau, spoken by nearly 5,000 people who reside along a river in Papua New Guinea. There are not words in this language to express the phrase “Jesus loves me,” so it is translated as “I am in Jesus’ canoe.” What a special image that must be for the native speakers of Abau.