As the holiday season lights up Clark County, a La Center farmer offers a live nativity scene complete with an 8-foot camel, three sheep, three goats, a donkey and a cow.
This December marks 19 years of Jeff Siebert, owner of Nativity Ridge Farm in La Center, sharing his live nativity display with local churches and charity events. Often dressed as a wise man, Siebert travels across the county annually with his animals and a small nativity house, spreading holiday cheer. He said his animals have brought comfort and joy to countless residents, often transforming the mood wherever they go.
“They will literally change your day, and that’s kind of what my motto of the whole Nativity Ridge farm is — to put smiles on people’s faces and to change their day,” Siebert said.
Growing up on a farm in Hockinson, Siebert always found solace in the company of animals. Nearly 20 years ago, he purchased Curly the Camel as a baby and raised him by bottle. Over the years, Curly has become a familiar presence across Clark County, delighting locals and becoming the centerpiece of the nativity. On one memorable occasion, Curly visited the Washington State School for the Blind, where he gently lowered his head to allow blind children to feel his face.
“He is very sweet. Well, he’s been doing this since he was 5 months old, so he’s used to being around people,” Siebert said. “... It’s a lot of work, but I get such a blessing from it. The little kids, when they come and see the animals, their smiles and laughter make them so happy. In this world we’re living in now, which can feel kind of dreadful, seeing those kids smiling and laughing makes me feel good and inspires me to do even more.”
Carrying on the nativity tradition has not been easy for Siebert, as this will be his eighth year doing it alone. In 2017, his wife, Marilyn, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Despite his heartache, Siebert has remained steadfast in attending holiday events, honoring Marilyn’s memory and her love for the nativities they once created together. This year, he plans to return to Yacolt’s annual tree-lighting ceremony — a meaningful event for him, as Marilyn grew up in the area.
“That [last] December I told her I didn’t want to go do the nativity or the Christmas-tree lighting. And that woman looked at me and she says, ‘You will go and do my people,’” Siebert recalled.
Although the years since Marilyn’s passing have been challenging, Siebert finds solace and purpose in continuing the tradition. Last summer, he received a call from a Maryland resident, who shared a touching story about his late father, a Vancouver resident. The caller described how, one December, his family had learned of his father’s brain cancer diagnosis.
“He said, ‘The day my dad found out he had brain cancer, he never smiled and never laughed. He was always down until the day that you were hauling Curly the Camel to one of your nativities and we were following you for quite some time. My dad sat next to me in the car laughing and smiling,’ ” Siebert recalled.
The caller went on to say that his father passed away three weeks later, but he did not die an unhappy man, thanks in part to Siebert’s work. It is moments like these, Siebert said, that fuel his commitment to continuing the tradition, no matter the challenges.
“This is something that God put on my heart to do to bless people and it’s all about blessing people,” Siebert said. “God’s been my navigator and the person who has really motivated me to be who I am today. Having a relationship with God is why I truly do what I do.”
Siebert’s work will continue after the holidays as he builds a larger nativity scene at his farm, a space where neighbors and visitors can gather to celebrate the tradition.
