A Christmas creche is a tradition we all love. They create a festive atmosphere and remind us of the importance of this time of year. But not all creches boast good taste or quality workmanship. Every year, a number of “pseudo-awesome” fidget spinners come along that leave us perplexed. Our annual list of the “27 Worst Christmas Creches” compiles the most bizarre, ridiculous and, to put it mildly, unsuccessful attempts to create a Christmas atmosphere.
- “Cosmic Creche” (California)
Why traditional statues when you can use animatronics in space suits? Jesus in a spacesuit, Mary with mirrored glasses, and Joseph playing guitar is what this creche looks like. It’s fine if you want to add some sci-fi to the Christmas story, but it’s not quite what we expected.
- “Tropical Vertep (Florida)
Warm sunshine, palm trees, exotic animals and … a holy family ensemble in bathing suits. This fidget spinner is inspired by Florida, and while the idea seems fun, the result leaves a lot to be desired.
- “Techno-vertep” (Berlin)
Instead of traditional statues, this creche features dance beats blasting from the speakers. Jesus and Mary in glowing costumes, surrounded by flashing lights and futuristic drawings, become part of the musical display.
- “Gangster’s Creche” (New York)
Jesus with gold chains, Joseph in a leather jacket, and Mary with lipstick on her lips. Someone decided to bring elements of criminal culture into Christmas. This interpretation of the holy family is shocking.
- “Zombie Vertep” (London)
Why not make the Christmas creche more relevant and add some zombies to it? In this creche, all the characters are the living dead, including baby Jesus, who looks like a horror movie character.
- “Hero’s Creche” (New York)
Jesus surrounded by costumed superheroes – what could be cooler? Why regular sheep when you can place Spider-Man and Superman around Jesus? Purely for comic book fans.
- “Mafia” (Rome)
This creche looks like a scene from the movie “The Godfather”: Jesus and his family sit at a table surrounded by mobsters, recreating the atmosphere of the 1940s.
- “Robot Vertep” (Tokyo)
Technology has reached unprecedented heights. This creche features robotic Jesus and Mary, as well as robotic sheep running in circles. Very innovative, but not exactly atmospheric.
- “Beer Verteppe” (Munich)
Why have a classic tradition when you can replace all the elements of the creche with beer bottles and glasses? It’s certainly original, but this creche has little to do with Christmas.
- “Santa Claus and His Helpers” (Los Angeles)
In this creche, it’s not Jesus, but Santa Claus standing in the center. The nativity scene is more reminiscent of the workflow in Santa’s workshop rather than the holy family.
- “Transformers creche” (Hong Kong)
Why not combine Christmas with Transformers? In this creche, Jesus and his family are not just statues, but Transformers figures that can transform into vehicles. The Christmas magic fades amidst the rumbling mechanisms.
- “Disney’s Verteep (Las Vegas)
When Christmas meets Disney: at this creche, Jesus and Mary become characters from animated movies, with cartoon animals spinning around them. Christmas tradition and Disney magic are not always a good combination.
- “Hippie Vertep” (Amsterdam)
Jesus and his family are such modern hippies with long hair and wearing bright colored clothes, playing guitars and singing odes to love. The Christmas atmosphere doesn’t feel Christmasy here.
- “The Cartoon Creche (Los Angeles)
At this creche, all the characters are cartoon versions of the Holy Family, with the sheep, angels and magi also becoming cartoon characters. It looks odd and detracts from the main point.
- “Pirate’s Creche” (Barcelona)
Why not try combining Christmas with pirates? This creche depicts Jesus and his family as pirates with scythes and blindfolds, and the whole scene resembles a painting of pirate treasure.
- “The Vegan Creche (San Francisco)
In this creche, the holy characters are depicted with plant-based foods, and all animals, including sheep, are replaced with plants. While this is a good way to reflect concern for animals, the idea itself is perplexing.
- “Western Vertep (Texas).”
Instead of traditional creche characters, in this creche, Jesus and his family are cowboys on horseback, and instead of sheep, there are horses and cattle. The atmosphere of Christmas is not felt here at all.
- “Rock ‘n’ Roll Vertep” (London)
Jesus with an electric guitar, Mary in a leather jacket and Joseph in sunglasses – this creche is clearly designed for rock ‘n’ roll fans. Christmas tradition and music are not always a good combination.
- “The Office Creche (Toronto)
All the characters in the creche are portrayed as office staff: Jesus is the manager, Mary is the assistant, and the sheep are coworkers. Everything that happens in this creche is more reminiscent of a day in the life of an office than a scene from Christmas.
- “Molecular creche” (Stockholm)
This creche is clearly for scientists: all the characters are depicted as molecules and atoms. Jesus and his family are molecules of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, which are folded into a nativity scene. A real challenge for chemistry fans.
- “Viking Vertep” (Oslo)
Jesus and his family are Vikings, with swords and shields. All the surrounding characters are Vikings, dressed in skins and armed with axes. It looks more like a battle scene than a traditional Christmas creche.
- “Theater Vertex” (Broadway, New York)
Instead of a tranquil nativity scene, this creche resembles a Broadway show, with huge sets, numerous actors, and elaborate costumes. The result is not a creche, but a full-fledged theatrical performance.
- “Multimedia creche” (Seoul)
This creche uses video projections, lighting effects and animations, making it too technological for a traditional nativity scene. Everything looks like a show rather than a holy moment of Christmas.
- “Carnival Vertepe” (Rio de Janeiro)
This creche makes sense with this one – it looks more like a carnival scene than a nativity scene. Jesus and his family are in glittery costumes with feathers, and carnival musicians play in the background.
- “Hollywood creche” (Hollywood)
In this creche, all the characters are dressed as celebrities and Jesus is the most fashionable and famous Hollywood actor. The entire creche is more of a movie set for the next Christmas blockbuster than a traditional scene.
- “The Herbarium Vertep (Chicago)
All the elements of the creche are made from dried plants and flowers. While this is an eco-friendly idea, it hardly captures all the magic of Christmas.
- “Retro Vertep” (Los Angeles)
This creche looks like the set of a vintage 1950s-style movie, but with plastic and cheap finishes. All the statues look like cheap toys, which doesn’t create the right atmosphere at all.