Jessie Tree

I stumbled upon another bloggers website in an attempt to find new traditions to start with our young ones only to behold an interesting tradition known as the "Jesse Tree". I think this is a wonderful way to incorporate daily scripture verses with the children and truly gives one the opportunity to put CHRIST back in Christmas.

The Jesse Tree is very simple, each night you read a section of scripture and place an ornament on your tree that encompasses the bulk of the story. Now, if you are in a different season with older children you can incorporate asking a question that relates to that particular section or simply, "How does the gospel tie into this story in the bible?". Afterwards, you can say a prayer in regards to what you've read and what you hope the Lord will sow in and of that feeding of scripture.

Now, some websites will suggest buying a new, little 2 foot faux Christmas tree to hang your ornaments on but, I'm frugal (see:CHEAP) so I decided to use the Christmas tree I already had and just give my current ornaments to a family member. I then made a dandy little trip over to Michaels with a nice "20% OFF Entire Order" coupon to pick up my little ornaments.

Here's the run down of the Topic & Ornament:
Day 1 - Jesse Tree Tradition - Wooden Tree ornament
Day 2 - Creation - Globe or Dove
Day 3 - The Fall - Apple or Snake
Day 4 - The Flood - Ark, Boat or Rainbow
Day 5 - Promise to Abraham - Tent or Camel
Day 6 - Abraham & Sarah - Craddle or Preggie Mom Silhouette
Day 7 - Abraham & Isaac - Ram
Day 8 - Jacob's Dream - Ladder
Day 9 - Joseph - Coat of Colors
Day 10 - Ten Commandments - Tablet or Ten Commandments
Day 11 - Rahab's Rope - Tuft of Rope or Red Ribbon
Day 12 - Ruth & Naomi - Wheat Stalk
Day 13 - King David - Crown or Harp
Day 14 - Queen Esther - Scepter or Feminine Crown
Day 15 - Isaiah & Prophets - Watchtower, Lighthouse or Fire
Day 16 - Elijah & Prophets of Baal - Rocks or Fire
Day 17 - Passover - Door frame with red paint smeared or Lamb
Day 18 - Birthplace of Jesus - Silhouette of Bethlehem
Day 19 - Daniel & the Lions - Lion
Day 20 - Zechariah and Elizabeth - Angel
Day 21 - John the Baptist - Waves or a Splotch of Water
Day 22 - Mary - Heart
Day 23 - Joseph - Hammer or Tools
Day 24 - Trek to Bethlehem - Sandals, feet print or camel
Day 25 - Birth of Christ - Star or Nativity Scene

Unfortunetly, I didn't know every single solitary story so I had a hard time coming up with substitutes or finding the perfect size ornament. I still have a few more things to pick up but I will try my best to post the pictures of my ornaments for reference. Or, go HERE and you can browse other sites to give you ideas about the Jesse Tree.

On a side note, you can remove or add certain stories if you have a really hard time finding that perfect ornament.