Throughout time, the nativity scene has morphed from a quiet religious symbol into a lively Christmas staple that manages to outdo itself year after year -- for better or worse. Some renditions start off serious and become ridiculous; many are so cheesy they would even make baby Jesus chuckle, and others border on offensiveness to the religious set -- ahem, spreadable Mary and Joseph (you'll see).
Let's start with this list's inspiration, the live nativity rehearsal Thursday evening at First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach that ended with one of the supporting cast members, a camel named Lula Bell, losing her balance. The 1,000-pound animal tipped sideways onto a pew of unsuspecting audience members, according to the Palm Beach Post, and no one was hurt -- a Christmas miracle. The incident, which startled an audience of Palm Beach Atlantic University students who moved out of the way very quickly, made Lula Bell an instant YouTube sensation as evidenced by the nearly 200,000 views of her nativity scene malfunction.
5. Lula Bell's Palm Beach Stumble
3. The Scuba Nativity -- the name alone is simply amazing. Where do people find this kind of time -- and inspiration?
2. What happens when a butcher interprets the nativity scene? Probably something like this. It just shouldn't be done... but someone did it.
1. As if that wasn't enough, someone upped the edible ante with a sculptural element. Paula Deen would be proud of this one: a nativity scene entirely crafted of butter. Click here to watch more.
