Why we are doing a Jesse Tree

Two months ago I had never even heard of a Jesse Tree. I saw a link for paper ornaments of the same name on Oriental Trading and then heard a couple of moms laughingly say they didn't have the energy to do one on a podcast I listen to. Naturally, that sparked my curiosity so I looked it up. WOW! If this isn't what Kyle and I are all about, I don't know what is. We love things like the Jesus Storybook Bible because it makes it so easy to show our kids how Jesus is a part of every piece of Scripture. The Jesse Tree is like an intensive course of the Bible for your kids in the month of December. In a season that is so about get, get, get, we are intentionally setting aside time to talk to our kids about the greatest gift they could ever receive. Yes, we have a nativity and yes, we have a Christmas tree and still watch the Santa movies, but at the heart of this month, I want to communicate to my children that Christmas is about God's love for us.

In my research, I found that the name "Jesse Tree" comes from a passage in the Old Testament that talks about a branch springing forth from the root of Jesse. This of course is talking about Jesus, coming from the line of Jesse (King David's dad). This is a very old tradition that used ornaments to help tell the story of Christmas beginning at Creation. While we will still have our other family ornaments on our tree, I'm excited to see how these become a part of our season celebrations.

Isaiah 11:1 "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit."

This is our first year doing the Jesse Tree and already we know we have some work to do on how we tell each story, but we are loving it so far! A couple of years ago, I saw a really cool advent activity that used a nativity scene and each day a new was added. Last year, I even bought a fun kid's nativity set to do this with, but after reading about the concept of the Jesse Tree, Kyle and I both agree this addresses our family's desire in a much better way. So far this month, we have talked about everything from Creation, to where the Passover came from to the walls of Jericho. Sure, my toddlers don't understand all the stories, but they will remember the names and pictures in the coming years and we will build on those bits of knowledge. Raylen's favorite so far is "Jofish's coat."

Have you ever done a Jesse Tree, or something like it? I would love to hear about your experience with it!