"It was amazing to feel bonded to all these people through our mutual appreciation for Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Drive-thru Nativity Brings Community Together
December 17, 2022 - Mary Jolley
The Drive-thru Nativity in Cameron Park on December 16-17th 2022, promised to bring the community together, and it delivered.
The 10-scene, live-acted display included participants from all nine congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in El Dorado County, including members from as far as Georgetown and Camino. Visitors from all over the area came to the parking lot outside of the Cameron Park church building on Hacienda Rd. to view reenactments of key scenes surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ.
The free event drew quite a crowd, with cars lined up bumper to bumper in a serpentine path through the parking lot. At the beginning of the tour, every visitor received a huge, delicious homemade cookie, which contributed to the Christmas cheer. Carol McIntyre, one of the volunteers from the Placerville congregation who baked over 100 cookies for the event, said “It was my privilege to serve others in the community who came to celebrate the birth of our Savior with a special treat.”
Missionaries giving out cookies also provided QR codes so that visitors could listen to the audio accompaniment for the nativity scenes. The audio was recorded by the Funk family in the Cameron Park congregation, and provided ambience and context to help visitors follow the story.
As visitors proceeded to the nativity, they were, according to event organizer, Rebecca Hunter of the Bass Lake congregation, “transported back in time to briefly experience what it might have been like for Mary and Joseph during their mortal experiences of becoming the earthly parents to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
And the event did feel like time travel. Actors wore costumes and had detailed props, including handmade wooden cages with live chickens, and tethered goats chewing on fresh hay. Brooke Morgan, a teen from the Rescue congregation who participated in the scene where Mary and Joseph are looking for an inn, said the chickens “were the perfect hand warmers” when she picked them up. One scene contained an angelic choir where youth and adults sang hymns celebrating the birth of the Savior. In another, three wise men gave gifts to an adorable toddler Jesus who wiggled on his parents’ laps.
The final scene reminded visitors that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the whole world, showing ancient American believers kneeling before the heavenly sign of Christ’s birth, as described in the Book of Mormon.
This 2022 event had been in the works since August, but it was not the first. The Drive-thru Nativity was first conceptualized during COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. Hunter wanted to connect with people and celebrate Christmas during the holidays in a safe manner. “I just couldn't sit back and do nothing at all,” she explained. So she came up with the Drive-thru Nativity.
This desire for connection exceeded Hunter’s expectations. She had originally intended for it to be a small event, but as other members in the area heard about it, they eagerly asked to participate. Soon the event brought together members from the entire El Dorado Stake. More than just bringing members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints together, the Drive-thru Nativity brought the community together during the Christmas celebrations. Everyone was invited to come and see, as reflected in the banner displayed by the Eastbound Highway 50 onramp on Cameron Park Drive and in countless other invitations shared with friends and neighbors online and in person.
Reflecting on her experience as a participant in the nativity, Morgan said, “It was amazing to feel bonded to all these people through our mutual appreciation for Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Hunter said she hoped members of the community “will recognize the true meaning of Christmas and feel the spirit and the love that Jesus Christ has for each of them.”
This is an annual event, so if you missed it in 2022, come join us in 2023!