What struck Tricia Derges as she left Venezuela was how each Nativity she saw there was unique.

"I took the Nativity for granted. I never thought about it before. That day when I went to all these little bitty crafters and every one had something different. I thought, 'Isn't that amazing.' That's just Venezuela, what about the rest of the world," Derges said.

After buying her banana leaf creche in Venezuela, she began to scour the world.

Derges has amassed an impressive collection of 1,600, hundreds of which are on display today and next weekend at The Live Nativity Celebration at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Derges and other church members have loaned their treasures for this event, where 80 countries are represented. It is open to the public, and families are encouraged to attend.

There's an aluminum foil Nativity from Poland; one from Guyana crafted from rubber trees; mother of pearl from Vietnam; seed pods from Guatemala; gourds from El Salvador; Coca-Cola cans from Africa; bread dough from Ecuador; and on and on.

The oldest in the collection is a 17th century Nativity from Peru.

In its sixth year, the celebration has mushroomed each year.

This is the first year the church will offer a live Nativity from 5 to 9 each night.

Brian Chandler, stake president over nine congregations in southwest Missouri and north Arkansas, said they wanted to come back "big and strong" with the live Nativity.

By constructing a stable with live animals, he hoped it would catch people's eyes as they drove by.

Church member Lori Caldwell hauled her goats and donkeys — which she loaned to the church-- in from Billings.

Rachel Sargent portrayed Mary in the first shift of the live Nativity on Saturday (because of the cold weather, there were two shifts).

"It's a special way to celebrate Christmas," Sargent said.

Stephen Webb, one of the wise men, wanted to be a part of it because the real message of Christmas gets lost in shopping.

His son, 10-year-old Geoffrey Webb, joked that he was drafted by his dad who's a "wise guy."

In many parts of the world, especially Central and South America, the focus of the Christmas celebration is the Nativity, Derges said.

In Mexico, they do not place baby Jesus in the manger until midnight on Christmas.

Unlike the live Nativity, displays are inside the church. Volunteers have worked 14 hours a day for a week to set up the maze of images.

Dawn Selim and Candy Smith were awed.

"There are so many handmade details. What's neat is the interpretation of the different countries all relating to Christ looking like them, and doesn't he look like all of us?" Selim said in a soft-spoken voice.

Smith was taken aback by the creativeness.

Nativities come in all forms: chess sets, tea pots, painted on plates, eggs, even one so tiny it fits in a bottle cap.

"Every country has their own style. Germany is almost always hand-carved and very precise details. The only way I can tell Mary apart (in the Mongolian set) is Mary has a ponytail," Derges said, picking up the figurine and turning it around.

In addition to the display, attendees can learn about Christmas traditions around the world, as there are posters explaining how different countries honor the day.

Derges has visited a number of countries, purchased some sets online, has "sources" all over the world who keep their eye out open for scenes and has received some from friends.

There are many gems in her collection.

Her favorites are not the intricate scenes, but rather the simplest ones, such as the basic clay Nativity from Kenya.

"The ones made by Christians in non-Christian countries. They are done in secret and taken out of the country," Derges said.

Some are rare, such as the one crafted by the Huichol tribe in Mexico.

The figures are dipped in beeswax, and then tiny beads are individually placed on the wax to form features. The artists work without patterns.

It doesn't matter where the nativity originates or whether it's crafted from silver, clay or broken glass. What is striking is how each culture has a different physical representation of Christ, but Christ is the central figure, Derges said.

"This represents a lot of people (around the world)," Derges said. "We'd love for this to become a family tradition."