Resource Review: The Advent Jesse Tree

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"!  

I don't know about you but, I can't think of Christmas with out being thankful, which is why I'm glad Thanksgiving and Christmas are within weeks of each other!  But a few years ago that lead me to thinking..... did my children truly know the real meaning of Christmas and how it was all in God's plan from the beginning?  

To make sure we were doing our part as their parents, we started a new tradition in our family. Two years ago, at the end of November, we placed our big Christmas tree in the back of the living room and put a 3 ft. tree in the front of the living room on an end table (so our focus would be on the little one rather than the bigger tree).  I placed a banner with the name Jesus across the top of the small tree. Then I placed a baby Jesus figurine under the tree, to represent how Jesus was God's gift to us. Beside Jesus was a shiny colored box, big enough for an ornament. My kids couldn't stand the anticipation. 

They had lots of questions and many assumptions. 

December 1st finally arrived, and 30 minutes before bedtime we gathered around the "Jesus" tree (typically this is called a "Jesse Tree"). We explained that we were going to learn the lineage of Jesse, which lead to the birth of Jesus. Each night a different child opened the box, took out an new ornament, and placed it on the tree. Then my husband or I would read from The Advent Jesse Tree, by Dean Meador Lambert. Afterwards we would read the corresponding story in the Jesus Storybook Bible.

  

For each day leading up to Christmas, The Advent Jesse Tree book has a prepared memory verse, familiar songs to sing, pictures that you can copy or use as an idea to make an ornament, a devotion for the kids, and a separate devotion for the adults. 

Another resource that I found extremely helpful is an online resource called  How to Celebrate Advent with a Jesse Tree by Tara Ziegmont at http://FeelsLikeHomeBlog.com/ebooks/jesse-tree. 
Tara has compiled a great guide to use, and even includes ornament pictures to cut out. Both of these resources have been extremely helpful in developing this new tradition in our family.  

This time of year can be so crazy, but, there is comfort in knowing that at the end of the day we get to focus on Jesus by doing our nightly Jesse (Jesus) Tree devotion. Plus, I get such a blessing sending our children to bed with their hearts full of love and their minds filled with Jesus.  

FYI, our kids love this tradition so much that they actually look forward to getting the Jesse Tree set up over the big one in the back of the room.