The Arena of Man 12 Days of Christmas Traditions: Day 3, Advent Jesse Tree

12 Days of Christmas Traditions

Day 3: The Advent Jesse Tree

The season of Advent is celebrated during the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day each year. Maybe you attend a church where you light a candle each week in observance of Advent. For my family, we’ve been using a symbolic reminder called the Jesse Tree for the Advent season since our kids were very young to keep our hearts and minds focused on what the Christmas season is all about. Lights, decorations, the exchange of gifts, and all of the other traditions we observe during this time of year pale in comparison to the true “reason for the season.” Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It marks the beginning of God putting into motion His work of redeeming sinful man through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Without Jesus, all of these Christmas traditions mean nothing. Without Jesus we have no hope, no joy, no salvation. He truly is the “reason for the season.” But with so many other activities vying for your attention, how can you be intentional about keeping Jesus at the center of your home during the Christmas season? That is where today’s “tradition” comes into play.

What is a Jesse Tree?

The Jesse Tree is an alternative/addition to the Advent calendars that you may have used for years. It’s a countdown to Christmas morning, but instead of building the anticipation toward what Santa might leave under the tree, it builds the excitement and anticipation of God fulfilling all of His Old Testament promises to send a Savior culminating in the birth of Christ on Christmas morning.

So how does it work? Each day you read a different passage or story from the Bible that points to God’s plan of redemption. Don’t worry. You don’t have to be a Biblical scholar to put this into practice with your family. Not only can you read the passages from the Bible, but you can also use a resource like The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Not only does it include almost all of the stories, but she also clearly outlines how each story points us to Jesus. After you read the story, you hang an ornament that symbolically represents the promise of the story you read.

What about the ornaments?

Again, don’t worry. Here is a printable version of ornaments you can print and have your children decorate for the tree. But what we have found is that over the years we have added multiple sets of ornaments for each day. I’m including pictures below with some ideas for you. Just this year, my wife had our girls paint a new set of ornaments for themselves that they will take with them when they leave home and begin their own families.

What about the tree?

Feel free to use your existing Christmas tree. But for us, we began with a cheap table top tree. Now we have a separate small tree that’s a bit bigger since we have a pretty large amount of ornaments to hang.

When to do it?

The next question is when to do it. For us, we try to read the story after dinner every night. For you it may work best at bedtime or breakfast. Just figure out what works for your family and do your best to stay consistent. But don’t let a day missed derail the entire experience.

The Stories

Day 1: Isaiah 11:1-2 - The Jesse Tree
Day 2: Habakkuk 2:1-4 - The Watchtower
Day 3: Genesis 1:26-31 - Creation
Day 4: Gensis 3 - The Fall
Day 5: Genesis 6:11-14; 7:17-8:3; 9:8-13 - The Flood
Day 6: Genesis 12:1-7 - The Promised Land
Day 7: Genesis 15:1-6 - God's Promise to Abraham
Day 8: Genesis 22:1-14: Abraham Sacrifices Isaac
Day 9: Genesis 28:10-22: Jacob's Dream
Day 10: Genesis 37:1-36: Joseph
Day 11: Deuteronomy 5:1-22: The 10 Commandments
Day 12: Joshua 2:1-21: Rahab
Day 13: Ruth 2:1-4:12: Ruth and Boaz
Day 14: 1 Samuel 16:1-15: God Chooses David to be King
Day 15: 2 Samuel 5:1-5: David Crowned King
Day 16: 1 Kings 5:5; 1 Kings 6: Solomon Builds God's Temple
Day 17: 1 Kings 18:17-24, 36-39: Elijah and God's Triumph over Baal
Day 18: Esther 4: Esther Saves Her People
Day 19: Isaiah 9:2-7: Isaiah's Prophecy of a Savior
Day 20: Isaiah 11:6-9: Isaiah's Prophecy of the Second Coming
Day 21: Jonah 3:1-5: Jonah and the Whale
Day 22: Daniel 6: Daniel and the Lions' Den
Day 23: Micah 5:1-5: Prophecy of a Savior Born in Bethlehem
Day 24: Luke 1:5-25: Elizabeth and Zechariah
Day 25: Matthew 3:1-6: John the Baptist
Day 26: Luke 1:26-38: God Chooses Mary
Day 27: Matthew 1:18-25: Angel Appears to Joseph
Day 28: Luke 2:1-5: Mary and Joseph Go to Bethlehem
Day 29: Luke 2:6-21: Jesus Is Born

Let me know how you keep your family focused on what’s most important during the Christmas season by commenting below.