CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago woman has turned her living room into a Nativity scene.

People from all over would come bearing gifts, excited to see the baby Jesus, and there’s another surprise that some are calling a miracle in itself.

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Sitting in her small living room on the city’s North Side, Fluvia Reyes shared with her neighbors a reading from her favorite book, “El Mártir de Golgotha,” a 19th century novel surrounding the life of Jesus Christ. Both the book and the baby Jesus take center stage in her beloved Nativity scene have been passed down in her family for generations.

“From my great-grandfather and then from my grandfather and then from my father,” Reyes said.

The Nativity scene in itself is a sight to behold-containing hundreds of pieces. Some, as old as the baby Jesus itself. Others gifted to her by people who come to visit from all over the city and suburbs, adding to her collection year by year. Setting it up is a two week process.

“For me it’s important to keep the old tradition,” Reyes said.

The baby Jesus itself was passed down to her in 1978. But she recalls, even as a young child-people coming to her family’s home in Guatemala to pray alongside it.

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“People, they donated,” Reyes said. “They came from the mountains. They bring apples, fruit for the baby Jesus.”

Visiting on Wednesday, her neighbors, also with Guatemalan roots, explained why they are drawn to stop by year on year.

“I’ve been coming to enjoy her Nativity and her company,” neighbor Dora Jimenez said. “It’s so special knowing it’s from Guatemala where my mother came from… growing up, putting the Nativity was definitely the priority and something that was emphasized more so than putting up your tree.”

While it’s impossible to for her determine the exact age of the baby Jesus, Reyes estimates it’s at least 150 years old, the same as her book.

By the time the Christmas season is over, Reyes says several dozen people will have stopped by to pay homage to her baby Jesus.

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