Nativity scenes depicted by LDS artists

"Silent Night" focuses more on Joseph, as he is the one holding baby Jesus. Swindle talked about how hard it must have been for Joseph when he found out Mary was pregnant. He had to step out of his comfort zone and try to gain respect from his community.

Having personal experiences of her own, Swindle has seen what it is like for a man to step into the role of a father for the first time.

"For a man who has never been a father before and come to love children that weren't in the beginning his, that's special," Swindle said. "In a way, Joseph had to take the role of not only being a somewhat step-father to Jesus, but also take on the role with Mary of being parents of the greatest human being who ever lived. It makes me wonder how much comprehension they actually had of their roles.

"The Light of the World" by Jay Bryant Ward

Jay Bryant Ward depicts the Nativity in his painting "The Light of the World." It was painted in 2010 using oil paint on linen.

On Altus Fine Art's website, Ward describes his painting in more detail.

"From the moment of His humble birth into this world, Christ was the light that shines forth in darkness — inviting all to come to the light and truth of the Gospel. For centuries prophets had prophesied of His coming, and He would later, during His ministry, declare, "I am the Light of the World." But on that first day, the day of His birth, Mary and Joseph looked at their newborn son with wonder and marveled at the circumstances surrounding His birth," said Ward.

Kylie Lewis is an intern for the Deseret News where she writes for Mormon Times and does other feature articles. She recently graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho, receiving a bachelor's degree in communications.