Four shepherds—Shawn Bass, from left, with Barney the sheep; Aurelia Longwater with Daisy the miniature cow; Parks Brown with Pattycake the goat and Nick Brown with Peabody the miniature donkey—encourage visitors to pet the animals.

In December, hundreds enjoyed the first-ever St. Matthias’ Episcopal Church live nativity, held in conjunction with Light Up Clermont.

“We wanted to inject a little Christ into the season,” said co-director Karen Freiberg.

A parishioner built the stable backdrop, and younger congregants served as shepherds and wise men. Barbie and Riley Gidden took the roles of Mary and Joseph, and their son Matthew was baby Jesus. The nativity, which lasted from 5-7 p.m., included a goat, sheep, miniature donkey and miniature cow.

One of the teen shepherds walked the crowded streets through town holding a lighted star to “let all those bustling around know about our live nativity.”

The Gidden family: Barbie, from left, Matthew and Riley portray Mary, Jesus and Joseph in the first-ever live nativity hosted by St. Matthias’ Episcopal Church in Clermont.

A number of people passed by the church on the way to the main event, so many church members ran out of goodie bags for those who stopped to enjoy the church’s presentation.

“We’d never done this,” Freiberg said. “We didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be a huge blessing—for us and those who experienced it.”

The following night, St. Matthias’ hosted its sixth annual St. Nicholas Festival. This event included free games with prizes, arts and crafts, goodie bags for children and an opportunity to visit with St. Nicholas.