Ill. man has collected 800 nativity sets

ROCKFORD, Ill., Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Dean Hobbler, of Rockford, Ill., enjoys the Christmas spirit each year by showing his ever-expanding collection of some 800 nativity scenes.

The Rockford (Ill.) Register-Star reported that Hobbler, who fittingly organizes an area church's holiday Nativity Walk, claimed that the artistic statue sets transcend theology come Christmas time.

"At Christmastime, people just kind of get into the spirit of Christmas," he told the Register-Star. "Even a lot of people who don't have the faith get into the joy and peace of the season."

Nativity collectors like Hobbler represent the world's interest with the holiday displays, an interest that can trace its roots to the Middle Ages.

Eric Walker, a church pastor in Rockford, told the newspaper how the practice made the leap to having real life characters replace the statues.

"We find that the movement and even crying of a real child helps provide an even more powerful message of God becoming one of us," he said. "The popularity of nativity scenes is a reflection of religious faith and conviction, as opposed to the popularity of more secular traditions, which may be based more on fads, commercial trends or family practices."