the jesse tree

creation (God)

Tree of good and evil (Adam and Eve and the fall of man)

I made the jesse tree ornaments, (I finished most of them...the rest I will do a little late) and we decided we wanted to hang them on our regular tree. I love the symbolism of each ornament and the boys really were able to sit through the selected readings really well. The jesse tree is intended to guide you through 25 days towards a deeper understanding of all that took place leading up to the birth of Christ through the old testament. B and I learned so much as well, we loved doing this this year, and look forward to doing it every year as a tradition of the true meaning of Christmas with our little bungarees.

lamb (passover and exodus of the Israelites),burning bush (Moses, God's Leadership), field of stars (Abraham's promise of descendants), the first king(the beginning of a kingdom), clay water pitcher (Gideon, an unlikely hero)

Ram (the offering of Isaac), Tablets of Torah (God giving the Commandments to his people), ladder ( assurance of the promise to Jacob), shepherd's crook ( David the Shepard of the people), trumpet ( Joshua and the fall of Jericho)


here are the different sites that have the ornaments and the meanings behind them:

The Jesse Tree: Celebration of Advent
Advent: Jesse Tree
The Remembering Tree: Using the Jesse Tree to prepare for Christs' Birth
Ornaments for Jesse Tree Patterns (PDF)