There are all sorts of ways of making Christmas a little bit special; including creating the ultimate nativity scene to share with your friends, family or even the wider local community.

It could be a great way to bring together people you would like to get to know better, as well as being a craft project that youngsters can contribute to and feel proud of at the end. It is a perfect Christmas activity.

Step 1

First things first, you need to secure the main ingredients for your display, which are your actors and the venue. Without these nothing can go ahead, so make sure you can rely on these factors.

You can use a mixture of children and adults for the scene, but it will be probably be easier to rope in young people over adults. In terms of a location, it need only be a covered area outside with space around it, which should not be too tricky to find.

Step 2

Once you have your key ingredients you will need to dress them up – this applies to both the people and the place. Children’s nativity costumes can be purchased online, while it can help to assign the task of designing the decorations in the stable to somebody artistic.

It is at this stage that you can invite people along to your festive occasion – make things easier for yourself by telling them to bring their own refreshments.

Step 3

With your plans in place it is time to test their viability. The three issues you must deal with are whether you need to do any fundraising to make the event happen, if there are any safety guidelines to keep in mind and how the scene will be created.

Speak to your local council, church groups and schools to see if they want to get involved; when you are organising something special it can be surprising how helpful people can be.

Step 4

In the weeks leading up to your nativity scene, keep in constant contact with your helpers and ensure they are on target to meet the deadline. You will want to have a dress rehearsal at least three days before the real show, since this will give you time to make amendments.

When it comes to the night of the nativity, the three issues to focus on are lighting, signage and carols. With the nativity scene in place and festive songs in the area, it should be a very merry Christmas.