A sex shop owner in Spain decided to get into the Christmas spirit with a special nativity theme of his own design.

Héctor Valdivielso, owner of Non Sit Peccatum, whose name means "not sinful", commissioned artist Ernesto Yañez to create images of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus on ceramic dildos. 

Immediately there were protests, including from a group called Children of the Virgin Mary who described the scene as an insult to their faith. One married couple demanded Valdivielso take down the nativity, or threatened to remove it themselves.

The shop was defaced by graffiti such as "pecadores", Spanish for sinners, and there were insults and threats against the owner.

So he temporarily took it down and held a public poll on whether the sex shop nativity should stay, or go.

And the public voted overwhelmingly in favour - 78.5 per cent of nearly 1000 voters polled said the scene should return to the shop window.

The shop is in Talavera de la Reina, a town just 90 minutes from Madrid.

The controversy is reported on Spain's Publico blog.

Valdivielso said: "Many neighbors of Talavera asked us to return to showcase the nativity scene and not give in to the blackmail of a few hotheads."

He added: "The work has been created with the intention to offend noone. Christmas is a global festival that concerns us all and the nativity scene is a symbol that represents it. Other establishments decorate their Christmas windows with their products. Why can't a sex shop?"

Meanwhile, according to Publico, the shop's ceramic dildos are selling "like hotcakes".