Jesse Tree

Hard to believe, especially with the weather we've been having, but Christmas is just around the corner. If you are looking for a wonderful way to make Christmas meaningful I highly recommend a Jesse Tree. We did this for the first time two years ago and it was great!

You can start with Advent (first day of Advent was November 29th this year) or you can just start on December 1st and go through Christmas day, which is what we do. Each day read a Bible verse and short devotional then hang an ornament on a little tree. There are many websites out there to give you ideas and there is no "right" way. Each family does it a bit differently.

There are "kits" you can buy, but it is easy to just make your own ornaments. The ornaments can be printed on paper or if you get real creative you can buy items to hang as ornaments that are a bit more three dimensional (like a mini-globe, twine, wheat, etc.). The tree itself can be a branch that is secured in a pot or you can use a mini-Christmas tree. That is what we do and it works well. There are free online devotionals or Jesse Tree Books.

The children really get a lot out of it. It helps keep us thinking each day about the reason we're celebrating! I think the review of familiar Bible stories helps them and it links Jesus to other people in the Bible. I told the kids we all have a "family tree" and since we are getting ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday we are going to learn about His family tree. We all know God was His Father but He was also a man with earthly roots. God had it all planned out long before Jesus was even born!

Today we started with the symbol of a tree stump, from the verses (Isaiah 11:1-2): A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. We talked about how God can take a tree that has been cut down (dead) and give it the hope of new life through a new shoot (Jesus). Now we'll move onto creation, the fall, Noah, Abraham, etc.

If you are interested, here are some links:
Jesse Tree Instructions, Devotions, and Printable Ornaments
Free Devotional (cut and paste into a document to print)
Another Tree with Printable Ornaments
Yet Another Option
or search "Jesse Tree" on Google