Do you remember growing up counting down the days to Christmas using special Christmas ornaments? If so, you would be remembering the Advent Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is one of those long standing Christmas traditions that sometimes doesn’t get a lot of attention, but it is one that has the potential to teach people about the story of the Bible, and also bring families together.

The Jesse Tree was named after the Biblical figure Jesse, and the tree is a reference to the passage from Isaiah 11:1, “A shoot shall come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jesse, from the Bible, is known to be one of the ancestors of Jesus. So, using a picture of a tree each day leading up to Christmas an ornament is placed on the tree in reference to a story in the Bible. So, using these stories you trace the story of Jesus and his ancestors from the first day of creation to the birth of Jesus.

The practice of the Jesse Tree was started in the Middle Ages through the use of stain glass windows. People during that time were illiterate, which means they couldn’t read the Bible. So, they used the windows as a way to teach the story of the Bible, and show how they can trace the history of the Bible to the birth of Jesus. One such window is in the Cathedral of Chartes. As time went on the practice continued, and it developed into the “Advent Calendar” we have now.

The tradition of the Advent Jesse Tree is significant in a lot of ways. For one the Jesse Tree is rooted in the Bible. As Catholics we place a great emphasis on the Bible in our faith. Plus, the stories used in the Jesse Tree as some of the basic stories leading up to the birth of Jesus. Secondly, the Jesse Tree has the potential to bring families together to learn the meaning of Christmas. As we use advent as a time to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus, families can use the Jesse Tree as a prayer opportunity. Each part of the family can take turns putting up the ornaments and learn together by revisiting the stories within the Bible.

So, if you didn’t get a chance to do it this advent I strongly encourage you to try this out with your family next year. Here is a link to one site which gives instructions on how to make a family Jesse Tree with the Bible passage that goes for each day: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=545. Quite possibly, using the Advent Jesse Tree, you may discover a new Christmas tradition that you and your family can do every year.