It’s that time of year where everyone is putting up their decorations to celebrate Christmas, and one alternative to the Christmas tree is the Jesse tree.
Why an Alternative?
You may have noticed that a lot of commercialised decorations don’t centre themselves around Jesus. There are numerous traditions that have been claimed by Christians over time (holly) and others created (candy-canes), while others still have then been distorted and no longer reflect Christian values (St. Nicholas as Santa Clause riding a sleigh with an army of elves to make all the toys that the children will receive). For some Christians, the Christmas tree was an idol and was separated from the idea of Jesus and his birth, for others the green represents new life and the decorations on the tree represent stars. If you are one such Christian that finds themselves uncomfortable looking at Christmas trees, we invite you to explore the Jesse tree.
What is a Jesse Tree
Isaiah 11:1
“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”
It is a tradition that started a considerable time ago (it is believed to have originated from the medieval times). One uses a tree or even a stick from which to hang decorations that represent each part of the biblical story leading up to Jesus. It is essentially a family tree inspired by Isaiah’s prophecy in 11:1. Each day of advent, another part of the story is added to the tree until finally you get to Jesus on the 25th of December. Some plans include the scripture references, so it is also a good way of getting into the word.
Decorating the Jesse Tree
You can buy decorations for the tree or you can even make them yourself. You can make them out of paper, felt, yarn, or wood. The whole tree itself can be symbolic or could it could be an actual tree. There are a lot of different plans and styles. Here are some examples:
If you wanted to make the decorations and/or read the scriptures, here are some websites to check out:
https://litanyofthehome.com.au/2024/11/25/the-jesse-tree-an-advent-tradition/
https://www.faithward.org/jesse-tree/