Tangram Christmas Art: The Nativity
(Jump to the 12 Days Set by clicking here, or see how this display was made by clicking here.)
From November 15 – December 29, 2012, there was a Christmas art display at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City, Utah. The annual event is called the “Trees of Diversity” and includes Christmas trees decorated in themes from around the world. A portion of that display included two sets of Christmas-themed tangrams. The one set depicted individuals from the Nativity. The other set displayed images from the old song “The 12 Days of Christmas.”
Each tangram image used in these displays were designed specifically for this art project (although it turns out others have designed similar camels). The tangrams were made of colored foam ranging from 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick. The plaques on which the tangrams were mounted are walnut that was cut and shaped in Bartlesville, Oklahoma for this project. Each plaque was custom built for the tangram image that it would house.
The Tangram Shape
Each of the images in the Nativity display is made of the same 7 shapes found in this tangram image. Tangrams are intended to use each of the 7 shapes, no more and no less, and they are not to overlap. The images include 2 large triangles, 2 small triangels, 1 medium-sized triangle, 1 square, and 1 parallelogram.
The Tangram Nativity Scene
The following are brief notes on the Nativity scene trangram images.
The Nativity
Surely, the greatest and most glorious night in history was the night of the birth of the Babe in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph could not possibly imagine how blessed they would be by the young one they brought into the world that night. Shepherds, Wise Men from the East, and angelic choirs heralded His birth, which we still celebrate today, more than 2,000 years later. It is a time of love, family, forgiveness, and festivities. This pack celebrates the wondrous Nativity with both serious and whimsical new tangram puzzles. As we enjoy the fun and frolics of this special time of year, let’s also remember that wise men still seek Him.
The 12 Days of Christmas Display – Rough Layout
This shows all of the images from the Nativity Display in a rough layout. There are two versions of the manger scene; one with Mary and the Babe together, and one with only the Christ child in the manger. There is also a tangram representing the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt. The “Flight into Egypt” and “Babe in the Manger” tangrams are intended to be stand-alone images that are not included with the overall Nativity scene depicted by the other 13 tangrams. All of the images on this page were designed for this display.
1 Partridge in a Pear Tree
Symbolism: Christ on the cross
2 Turtle Doves
Symbolism: The Old and New Testaments Also, after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph sacrificed a pair of turtle doves in accordance with the Law of Moses. (Luke 2:22-24)
3 French Hens
Symbolism: Either Faith, Hope and Charity, or the 3 Wise Men4 Calling Birds
Symbolism: The Four Gospels
5 Golden Rings
Symbolism: The Pentateuch, also known as the first 5 books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)6 Geese a-Laying
Symbolism: Six days of Creation
7 Swans a-Swimming
Symbolism: 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit8 Maids a-Milking
Symbolism: The eight Beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing
Symbolism: Fruits of the Spirit10 Lords a-Leaping
Symbolism: The 10 Commandments
11 Pipers Piping
Symbolism: The 11 Faithful Apostles12 Drummers Drumming
Symbolism: Points of the Apostle’s Creed
See How It’s Made
To see how this tangram art was made, click here.More Tangram Fun
If you would like to see a Tangram Pack that has a puzzle and these 12 Days of Christmas images included in it, you can get to it by clicking here.
The High Cost of Gift-Giving
In 2011, it was estimated that these literal gifts or services would cost $24,263.18. In 2012, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. estimated that one of each set of items would cost slightly more at $24,431. If each item were bought each time it’s mentioned in all 12 verses of the song, it would require purchasing 364 items overall at a total cost in 2012 of $107,300. It is assumed that the human items of milking, dancing, leaping, piping and drumming are on a services or rental basis and it’s per performance.
The breakdown in costs per item would be:
• 1 Partridge = $15
• 1 Pear Tree = $190
• 2 Turtle Doves = $125
• 3 French Hens = $165
• 4 Calling Birds = $519
• 5 Golden Rings = $750 (depending on the ring…)
• 6 Geese a-Laying = $210 (How do you make sure it’s laying at the moment it’s given??)
• 7 Swans a-Swimming = $7,000 (Plus, whatever they’re swimming in when given…)
• 8 Maids a-Milking = $58 (Not sure what the cows would cost.)
• 9 Ladies Dancing = $6,294
• 10 Lords a-Leaping = $4,767
• 11 Pipers Piping = $2,562
• 12 Drummers Drumming = $2,776
In the end, it seems like this would make for a very noisy house – not to mention a big mess! I anticipate that by the end of the first week of gift-giving the neighbors would be in a bit of an uproar, too. Maybe they’d have to share some of those golden rings to calm everyone down.