OSKALOOSA — Nedra Jane Smith loves to collect things and one of her favorite things to collect is Nativity scenes.

Smith has 76 Nativity sets that she has on display in three rooms of her home in Oskaloosa. During the past 50 years, she has gathered her collection from varied places ranging from flea markets to antique shops. She has received some as gifts from exotic places such as Jerusalem and Africa.

Smith said her first Nativity set was given to her as a present from one of her piano students. Some of her favorite Nativity sets were given to her as gifts.

One of her favorites is a Nativity scene made of olive wood from Jerusalem that her son gave her.

“He was in Israel for archeological digs,” she said.

Another one of her favorites is “The Sage Brush Kids” Nativity scene that has a Western theme.

“It’s part Indian and I like anything with Indians,” she said.

She also has a Nativity scene that was made in Mexico and a Nativity from Africa that was made from corn husks.

“It was given to me as a gift,” she said of the African Nativity scene.

One unique Nativity scene in her collection is a carousel scene that she got in 1982 from Quaker Hill Book Store in Richmond, Ind. Another unique scene is a Nativity music box.

“I have several music boxes to go with it,” she said.

One of her biggest Nativity scenes is on display on her dining room table — a 30-piece Thomas Kinkaid set.

“I started out with the manger,” she said. “This is a fairly new set.”

Smith said she ordered the first item and then she received other pieces to the set through the mail every couple of months.

Smith said that she really likes the Thomas Kinkaid set, but it has some inaccuracies. One of those is that the set has the Three Wise Men at the manger. She said that they came to the house and not the manger; the shepherds were at the manger. However, many Nativity sets have both the Wise Men and the shepherds. Also, the Kinkaid set has such beautiful items such as the manger. However, in real-life, a manger is not a beautiful place. But, “Thomas Kinkaid wanted it that way,” she said.

“I am a stickler for that, but I still collect them,” Smith said.

“I’ve enjoyed collecting them,” she said. “Now, I have to decide who’s going to get them when I’m gone.”

Currently, Smith has trouble finding space in her home to display her entire collection. Many are on display in the three rooms in her home, but many more are in storage in the attic.

Smith said that she has had some of her Nativity scenes on display at the Friends Church as part of the Tour of Homes. But, she hasn’t had them on public display this year.

While the Nativity scenes are set up around the house, Smith has to keep a close eye on them. Her two pets — her cat “Skunky,” who was found at the Skunk River bridge, and her puppy dog “Hopsing II” — also like her Nativity sets.