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CINCINNATI — It was a blustery Monday night when Tom Ramstetter and his 11-year-old son, Thomas, made their annual holiday trek to Eden Park.

A little more than a week before Christmas, the father-son duo arrived early enough to first enjoy Krohn Conservatory’s indoor displays. The brightly lit Cincinnati Parks facility is filled with the pop of holiday splendor — seasonal plants like, poinsettias, custom-made miniaturized replicas of Cincinnati landmarks, a collection of model trains running every which way through the flower house, and, of course, an oversized Christmas tree.

For the Ramstetters, however, the real draw waits just outside of the conservatory — the Crib of the Nativity display.

The Cincinnati tradition dates back more than 80 years.

“It was great,” said Ramstetter, 43, of Bridgetown, Ohio. “Sometimes, it is warmer when we go and that doesn’t exactly feel like Christmas.”

Under a thatched roof, the log stable features a variety of live animals — several sheep, a cow and a donkey — and life-size, dressed figures positioned to recreate the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The urban conservatory is home to four sheep, a donkey and a cow throughout the month of December. (Photo courtesy of Tom Ramstetter)

Thomas voiced an appreciation for the animals, especially the sheep. “They are funny to watch,” he said with a smile.

The Ramstetters make their pilgrimage to the seasonal display at least once a year, and usually as close to Christmas as possible.

It’s open every day from early December through Jan. 1. It’s even open on Christmas Day.

Ramstetter enjoys the animals as well, but he’s a big fan of the holiday music playing throughout the small, barn-like structure. The space also features an assortment of antique tools and some religious items as well.

There are pictures to provide a visual history of the Nativity scene.

It’s one stop the Ramstetters make as part of their full slate of Christmastime outings. They go to places like WinterFest at Kings Island, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Festival of Lights and the mix of seasonal events at Fountain Square.

After their trip to Eden Park, they traveled to Mount Healthy for the Nativity at the Paul R. Young Funeral Home. They’ve visited both sites every year since 2016.

“We’ve kind of made it into a live Nativity tour night the past couple years,” Ramstetter said.

A Christmas gift to greater Cincinnati

The Crib of the Nativity dates back to 1939. The crib was a gift to the greater Cincinnati region from what is now known as Western & Southern Financial Group.

Construction of the first display took place in Lytle Park in downtown Cincinnati. During World War II, the scene moved to Union Terminal, where it would be on display for departing and arriving troops and their families, according to Western & Southern.

Carolers perform outside the live Nativity scene in Eden Park. (Photo courtesy of Western & Southern Financial Group)

After a return to Lytle Park following the war, the Crib of the Nativity moved to its current location in 1967. It’s been taking place there every December ever since. The event is still sponsored by Western & Southern.

David Nevers, vice president of public relations and corporate communications at Western & Southern, estimated that about 3 million people have visited over the course of the event’s nine-decade history. He said he believes guests connect with the “serene and peaceful nature” of the display.

“The Crib of the Nativity is one of those deeply rooted and beloved annual traditions that makes Cincinnati so special,” Nevers added.

While the event is free to attend, Western & Southern has used it to collect money for the Salvation Army for the past 30 years. The money goes toward helping needy children and the homeless in the greater Cincinnati region, Nevers said.

Western & Southern Financial Fund matches those donations. 

There’ve been back-to-back years of record-breaking donations — $94,509 last year, and $87,623 in 2020, Nevers said. 

“We’re hoping that trend continues this year,” he continued. 

A family tradition for more than 80 years

Members of the Biedenharn family of Crittenden, Ky., have played a vital role in the operation of the Nativity scene every year since it started, according to Jody Stone. Her grandfather, Andy Biedenharn, helped design the original while working for Dixie View Nursery in Northern Kentucky.

Biedenharn ended up buying the nursery and passing it down to his family. Three generations of Biedenharns have carried on the tradition established by their patriarch for the past 83 years.

The owners of Dixie View Nursery partner with Krohn Conservatory on a large-scale Christmas season in Eden Park. (Casey Weldon/Spectrum News 1)

Like her two brothers, Stone’s been involved in the crib set up “for her whole life.” But she started taking part professionally as a teenager and has continued for the past 31 years.

“This is the meaning of the season,” Stone said. “It’s truly a labor of love.”

Each day of the holiday season, the Dixie View Nursery watches over the crib in shifts 24 hours a day. There’s a small apartment of sorts on the side of the stable called The Shepard’s Room, where members of the nursery team can eat, sleep while on duty, Stone said.

Stone loves all facets of the operation, but she’s especially proud of dressing and positioning the futures to make sure they look “just right.”

“My most favorite thing is on Christmas morning, when I’m working, just opening it up early, turning the music on, and just sitting there and taking it all in,” she said. 

Creating lasting holiday memories

Mark House has had a front-row seat for the Nativity of the Crib for the past 20 years while working at Krohn Conservatory. House, who’s now general manager of the conservatory, established a deal with the Biedenharn family where he brings several rare Cotswold sheep from his farm near Oxford, Ohio, to use in the manger while the Biedenharns provide a Christmas tree for the conservatory’s lobby.

This year, the family donated two 15-foot Norway spruce trees, House said.

In return, House offered four of his sheep — Molly, Polly, Holly and Dolly. There’s a fifth sheep House typically brings, but it’s gotten too big for House to catch, he said before laughing.

Tom Ramstetter and son, Thomas, pose for a photo during one of their holiday outings. (Photo courtesy of Tom Ramstetter)

Krohn draws considerable crowds throughout the year for its seasonal flower shows or its butterfly exhibits. But there’s nothing quite like the holiday season, House said. He noted the addition of holiday lights outside the conservatory, the presences of the animals and even the barn itself, which the Biedenharns construct from scratch each season.

He described the entire park as “magical” this time of year.

One thing House loves most is the extra foot traffic outside, House said. He put the average number of guests to the park each December as somewhere between 40,000 and 45,000 guests. Most of them, he said, are families like the Ramstetters.

“In these modern times, families are spread all over the United States. So during the holidays, they get to reunite — possibly for the only time all year — they come to a place, like Eden Park, to continue family traditions, or perhaps make new ones,” House said.

To Ramstetter, that’s what the holiday season is all about: Sharing them with loved ones.

Ramstetter recalled attending the Crib of the Nativity every year since he was a little kid. He’s taken Thomas to Eden Park every year since he was born. 

He’s said he’s glad to share the experience with his son the way he did with his parents while growing up. His dad, “Big Tom,” and his mother would take him and his brother, Tony, there each year, Ramstetter recalled.

“It’s not the Christmas season unless we make that stop,” Ramstetter added. “It’s something we look forward to each December.”