Met Museum’s Christmas Tree Centers on Neapolitan Baroque Nativity
The Metropolitan Museum of Art unveiled its annual Christmas tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche on December 1, 2025, in the Medieval Sculpture Hall at Fifth Avenue. This setup turns the hall into a holiday focal point through January 6, 2026, blending a 20-foot blue spruce with an 18th-century Nativity scene from Naples. El-Balad.com calls it a highlight of the museum’s traditions, while SSBCrack News points out how the tree’s lights play off the crèche’s details.
What Makes Up the Display
The blue spruce anchors everything, strung with lights and tucked with cherubs and angels in the branches. Below sits the crèche, packed with over 70 lifelike figures showing everyday life in an 18th-century Mediterranean harbor town. City Life Org breaks it down: adoring shepherds and flocks, a procession of the three Magi, plus peasants and townsfolk. Nearly 50 animals join in, along with backdrop pieces—a Roman temple ruin, small houses, an Italian fountain—that frame the Nativity.
The figures wear silk robes, with angels hovering overhead, capturing a mix of cultures from the era. Both El-Balad.com articles and SSBCrack News stress this multicultural vibe, from harbor townspeople to heavenly watchers.
- Tree: 20-foot blue spruce in Gallery 305
- Crèche origin: 18th-century Naples, Neapolitan Baroque style
- Key elements: 70+ human figures, 50 animals, scenic ruins and structures
- Ownership: Gift of Loretta Hines Howard, 1964 (per City Life Org)
A wrought-iron reja from Spain’s Cathedral of Valladolid sits behind the tree, adding to the medieval feel. The whole thing reflects Naples’ take on Nativity scenes, mixing faith, daily life, and artistry. Qoo10 covers the full holiday events, and MyLondon names the Met a top Christmas spot worldwide.
Head to the Met now to see it—it’s free with admission, drawing crowds for its mix of sparkle and history.