One November I spent many evenings huddled on the couch, surrounded by markers and covered in scraps of felt. I had three young children and was pregnant with my fourth, inspired to craft by both my nesting instinct and the chilly weather outside. I was creating a Jesse Tree for our family, a new experience for the upcoming Christmas Advent season. That was ten years ago, and we’ve been cherishing our Jesse Tree as an Advent tradition every year since! It’s been such a big part of our Christmas celebration that I’m often caught off guard when I realize that many people don’t know what a Jesse Tree even is. It’s been such a positive experience for us, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

What is Advent?

To start with, you need to understand what Advent is. Maybe you grew up in a church that celebrates Advent every year with special traditions and ceremonies, but mine did not. I didn’t know what Advent was until I was an adult! Advent is simply a season of waiting. But not just waiting – waiting expectantly, joyfully. A breath held in glorious anticipation of our Savior’s coming. At Christmas we observe the Advent of waiting for Christ’s birth, but we also experience the Advent of waiting for His return someday.

The Ornaments

I love all things Christmas – the lights, the decorations, the gifts, the events, the food! But it’s easy to get caught up in all of that and forget what Christmas is really about. A Jesse Tree is a countdown to Christmas, but one that puts the focus of Christmas right where it should be – on Jesus. There are typically 25 ornaments on a Jesse Tree, each one representing a story in the Bible. Each day in December you read one Bible passage that is either about a key character in Jesus’s earthly lineage, or a prophesy foretelling Jesus’s birth, life, or return. After reading the story, you add the corresponding ornament to your Jesse tree.

For example, the first ornament is a tree stump, which comes from Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” This is where the Jesse Tree gets its name; Jesse is the father of David, and we know that Jesus was born through the lineage of David. The next ornament is the Earth to correspond with the story of Creation. Next is an apple and snake to represent the first sin, then Noah’s Ark, etc. Eventually you get to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus’ birth.

The Bible Stories

You’ll find that there are different variations of Jesse Trees. Some denominations do Advent all the way through to the end of December or later, so they have more stories and ornaments. Some include different prophesies or story choices – swapping out Daniel for Jonah, for example. If you’re creating your own ornaments you can pick and choose which Bible stories you want to include, and which order you want them in. These are the stories, ornaments, and Bible passage that we use:

• December 1: Tree Stump – Jesse, Isaiah 11:1-2
• December 2: Earth – Creation, Genesis 1:26-31
• December 3: Apple – First Sin, Genesis 3:1-19
• December 4: Ark – Noah, Genesis 6: 11-14; 7: 17-8: 3; 9: 8-13
• December 5: Stars – Abraham, Genesis 15:1-6
• December 6: Ram – Isaac, Genesis 22:1-14
• December 7: Ladder – Jacob, Genesis 28:10-22
• December 8: Coat – Joseph, Genesis 37: 1-36; 50: 15-21
• December 9: 10 Commandments – Moses, Deuteronomy 5: 1-22
• December 10: Scarlet Cord – Rahab, Joshua 2:1-21
• December 11: Wheat – Ruth and Boaz, Ruth 1:15-2:3
• December 12: Slingshot – David, 1 Samuel 17:1-11, 32-37, 41-51
• December 13: Scroll – Josiah, 2 Kings 22:1-23:3; Psalm 119:105
• December 14: Wolf and Lamb, Isaiah 11:6-9
• December 15: Crown – Foretelling of the Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:2-7
• December 16: Lion – Daniel, Daniel Chapter 6
• December 17: Wall – Nehemiah, Nehemiah 1:1-4; 2:1-8, 16-18; 6:15-16
• December 18: Zechariah & Elizabeth, Luke 1:5-25
• December 19: Water – John the Baptist, Matthew 3:1-6
• December 20: Heart – Mary, Luke 1:26-38
• December 21: Hammer – Joseph, Matthew 1:18-25
• December 22: Bethlehem – King to come from Bethlehem, Micah 5:2-5a
• December 23: Star – Magi, Matthew 2:1-12; Revelation 22:16
• December 24: Manger – Jesus, Luke 2:1-7
• December 25: Angel – Angels’ Proclamation, Luke 2:8-20

Jesse Tree Books

If you have little ones you might prefer to use a book with pictures to help keep their attention. Keep in mind that if you use a specific Jesse Tree book, your ornaments will need to match up with the stories the book includes. These are some of the books and children’s Bibles we’ve used as reading guides over the years:

Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp

The Advent Jesse Tree by Dean Lambert Smith

One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham

The Beginner’s Bible by Zondervan

Egermeier’s Bible Story Book

How To Make Your Own Jesse Tree

Your Jesse Tree can be as simple or fancy as you like. I made our ornaments from felt. First I chose my stories and the images I wanted to use to represent each one. I sketched each image onto paper first. Then I traced them onto pieces of felt with a permanent marker and cut each one out. I also cut 25 plain circles from felt to act as the backgrounds for my ornaments. I hot glued each image onto a background, then glued a small square of Velcro onto the back of each one so they would stick to my tree. You may choose to make your own ornaments, as I did (feel free to use my photo as a guide). Or you may decide you want to purchase pre-made ornaments. When we first started it was hard to find resources for the Jesse Tree, but now there are so many options for buying or printing ornaments online!

For the tree we used a cheap felt tree that I happened to find at the dollar store. I just recently saw these in stock at Dollar Tree. You could also easily make your own from a large piece of felt. No need to add Velcro to the tree, the Velcro on the ornaments will stick right to the felt. You could also hang the ornaments on your Christmas tree, on branches brought in from outside, on a paper tree on the wall, anything!

A New Tradition

Our family has been so blessed by doing the Jesse Tree, and I look forward to it every year. The Jesse Tree weaves a beautiful thread through the Bible, showing us God’s plan, His grace, and His love for us. It focuses our hearts and minds on Jesus during a busy season. Because Jesus is the whole point – not just of Christmas, but of our entire existence. I hope that the Jesse Tree will soon become one of your favorite parts of the Christmas season, too!