The works of Palo Alto High School students, teachers and parents will appear at the 22nd Christmas Crèche exhibit from Dec. 5-9 at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The exhibit’s Web site describes a crèche as “a three-dimensional artistic representation of the birth of Jesus” that was popularized in 1223 by St. Francis of Assisi and has since become traditional in many cultures.

Paly English teacher Kaye Paugh has been involved in the event for years.

“My husband and I have a number of crèches…and each year some of them are displayed,” Paugh said. “I have had as many as 13 or 14 crèches used depending on what they need. This year five of mine will be displayed.”

Juniors Manon and Camille Von Kaenel have submitted two crèches in their first year contributing to the exhibit.

“This is the first year we’ve submitted to it, but we’ve gone to the actual exhibit for years,” Manon said. “It’s gotten better and better because they have different rooms with different styles from different areas of the world.”

The crèches are organized based on their style and where they come from, and past years have included crèches from around the world, according to Camille.

In addition to the crèches, the church offers a variety of entertainment as part of the exhibit.

“There are activities for children [including dress ups and a marionette show] and musical events in the evening,” Paugh said. “Paly choirs have sung there and this year the Gunn Chamber Singers are performing one evening.”

For Camille, the best part of the exhibit is seeing the different types of crèches on display.

“The coolest thing is that they have creches from all around the world so you can see all the styles from different regions and countries,” Camille said. “It’s not like seeing a religious scene, it’s basically seeing how the same scene and the same story can be represented in so many ways according to different countries and different cultures.”

“It’s fun to see how each culture adapts this universal image of the nativity scene to their own traditions and environments,” Manon added.

Paugh encourages all kinds of people to visit the exhibit.

“Whether you are religious, Christian or not, seeing how cultures all over the world interpret the same event is fascinating,” Paugh said. “It is a beautiful art exhibit, exquisitely displayed, and for many, a deeply moving and wonderful way to remember the true meaning of Christmas.”

The exhibit will be open 12-9 p.m. from Dec. 5-9 at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 3865 Middlefield Rd. in Palo Alto.