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The Jesse Tree as an Advent Activity
The Jesse Tree is a lovely Advent activity that helps tie Advent and Christmas together. It begins with a bare branch and one ornament per day. Ornaments made or purchased especially for this use can be added one day at a time. It is like an Advent calendar in that it is a "countdown to Christmas". On the final day, the last ornament is added and then the Jesse Tree can continue to be displayed or the ornments transferred to the main tree.
Pauline Books and Media publishes a kit for making Jesse Tree ornaments which is featured in the links section below.
Catholic Culture has an excellent article on the Jesse Tree and its symbols, which I have also referenced in the links section below.
The photograph is an old one of the Jesse Tree at my church in the 1970's. A wire frame was covered with evergreens to make the tree shape and the ornaments were made from posterboard. They were quite beautiful and elegant. While the wire frame was a bit bulky to store, the ornaments took little space and this type of decoration is ideal, I think, for those of us who have little space.
Contents of this lense are copyright 2006-2008 by Marguerite Manor.
Jesse Tree--the "Family Tree" of Jesus
There should be twenty-five ornaments to hang on a bare branch--you can use a piece of dead wood from your garden or yard and you can spray paint it silver or gold, although the symbol works best with a bare branch. The ornaments can be "found objects", cookie cutters (miniature ones might work best depending on the size of your branch), or hand-crafted ones from paper, clay, pipe-cleaners, whatever you have on hand.
For links to articles about the ornaments and blessings for the tree see the links section below.
The Jesse Tree is actually a rather recent practice and it is quite ecumenical. It is one way to help children keep focused on the meaning of Christmas and it can be shared by children of different Christian faith traditions, so if you have a "blended" family or wish your children to have an activity with neighbors, this might be it.
Because each list that I have found on the Internet is slightly different, I am giving you links to several of them so that you can choose for yourself. Please see the link list below.
(First Sunday of Advent is November 30, 2008)
Links to Resources for a JesseTree on the Net
- Setting up and Blessing the Jesse Tree
- An article at catholicculture.org that tells more about the Tree and the use of it.
- Jesse Tree Ornaments
- An article about the Jesse Tree Ornaments with scripture citations.
- Cookie Cutter Collecting
- For great links to two family owned cookie cutter making businesses. Collect a set for the symbols to use on your Jesse Tree as simple ornaments, or use the cutters to make dough ornaments.
- Advent is The Season Before Christmas
- Did you know that Christmas is preceded by an entire season devoted just to the preparation and anticipation of the great, holy event of Christmas? (No, it isn't the retail shopping season.) Advent, which means, He comes, is the liturgical season of four Sundays which precede Christmas. It has its o
Tree of Jesse on Amazon
The Advent Jesse Tree: Devotions for Children and Adults to Prepare for the Coming of the Christ Child at Christmas
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 12/18/2009) 
The Jesse Tree
Amazon Price: $13.60 (as of 12/18/2009)
The Jesse Tree: Stories and Symbols of Advent
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 12/18/2009)
The Jesse Tree Kit *
Amazon Price: (as of 12/18/2009)
Marguerite Blogs
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byGuestbook for the Jesse Tree as Part of Advent
Please leave your comment about your own experiences with this Advent custom
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- nightcats nightcats Nov 21, 2008 @ 10:12 am
- I have never heard ofthe Jesse tree. I love this story and thank you for helping me discover a new tradition. Five stars and a lensroll to my Advent Calendar lens.
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- JimStreet JimStreet Nov 28, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
- Great lens on the Jesse Tree. We'll be using it to help our church kids create one! If you'd like to learn more about the seasons of the church year, please visit my lens on the Revised Common Lectionary at www.squidoo.com/rcl.
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- Mrs. Bounds Mrs. Bounds Nov 24, 2007 @ 6:27 pm
- Can't wait to have the tree in my 3rd grade classroom!
by margueritemanor
I am a lensmaster with a CafePress shop who is also a writer.
A graduate of Stanford University and the University of Chicago Divinity School, I am fo...
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