Report on Drive-thru Nativity 2020
Women Unite for Saturday of Service – September 2022
“Our daughter’s family drove behind us through the nativity. We had not seen them for a month due to COVID. We shared the beauty of the nativity and talked to them through the phone and finally got to share some of the beauty of Christmas together.”
Drive-thru Live Nativity Arrived in Cameron Park
December 15, 2020 - Lori Mortensen
Locals from all faiths were invited to this free community event.
Christmas is right around the corner. Before the pandemic, many religious communities celebrated Christ’s birth by staging live nativity events where crowds of people could seemingly go back in time to Old Bethlehem and witness the first nativity for themselves, with scenes depicting Caesar Augustus’ decree, Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, shepherds marveling over the new star, heavenly hosts singing, wise men bearing gifts, and the joyful, holy scene of the Christ child with Mary and Joseph in the lowly stable.
The pandemic has brought many changes, and live nativities have changed too. On December 11-12, 2020, members of the El Dorado Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints invited the community to enjoy their special, free evening event, Drive-Thru Live Nativity at 3431 Hacienda Drive in Cameron Park. As attendees drove back in time, they were given cookie treats for the road ahead along with a link to listen to pre-recorded narration and music for each upcoming scene. Painted backdrops, live animals such as donkeys, sheep, and chickens, bales of hay, and crackling fires helped bring the scenes of Old Bethlehem to life.
“I especially liked the live animals in the different scenes that made it more authentic and the narrative that enhanced the drive,” reported Jan Skubal of Cameron Park. “Just to make sure I didn’t miss anything, I went around the block and went through a second time. It was wonderful!”
For Shingle Spring’s Gwen Grewe, it was a chance to reconnect with family. “Our daughter’s family drove behind us through the nativity. We had not seen them for a month due to COVID. We shared the beauty of the nativity and talked to them through the phone and finally got to share some of the beauty of Christmas together.”
However, some people had their doubts. “I will be honest,” said Bethany Lee Harris from El Dorado Hills. “I was very skeptical until we arrived and I instantly loved it. It was wonderful to see how everyone worked together to pull it off.”
Organizers were delighted with the turn out, estimating that more than 1,700 people drove through based on the number of cookies given out. But more importantly, the Drive-Thru Nativity was a great opportunity to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. Pandemics may change the way we celebrate, but the reason to celebrate will continue long after the pandemic has faded away.