Keeping Christ in Christmas

I'd like to share one of the ways that we try to keep Christ in Christmas in our home. A few years ago, I found an old box that was painted hot pink and lime green without any hardware at the flea market so I brought it home to paint and to put some special Christmas ornaments inside it.Then I found a small tree to hang the ornaments that we gathered.These ornaments represent stories from the Old Testament that lead up to the birth of Christ. This is called a Jesse Tree and is based on the verses in Isaiah 11:1-4 that foretell of "the Branch" who will come forth from the "root or stump of Jesse." You can find more information on-line about the background of it but here is how we do the Jesse Tree tradition at our house.

We begin on Thanksgiving night with a cute little music box that my oldest daughter gave me that is decorated with Adam and Eve and the Serpent. The youngest child winds the box and as it plays "Amazing Grace",  we discuss the Plan of Salvation and the  need for a Savior. Then we hang the red beaded fruit with the rubber serpent that we hot-glued to the top as our first ornament and we read the scripture for that night, Each night another ornament and scripture is read until Christmas Day. We have extra ornaments so that each child can pick the same number of ornaments to hang. (but of course there are still some ornaments that get wrestled for in spite of all effort for a "Silent night"!)

Here are the paintings I did on the box.

Here is the inside of the box with all of our treasures.

 This is one of those $1 little photo albums from Wal-mart that I used to hold the scriptures for each ornament so we don't lose them. Each scripture is written on a piece of colored paper and read before hanging the ornament for that night.

Adam and Eve: The fruit and the Serpent

Genesis 3: 1-24

 Noah and the Ark:
Genesis 6:5-22; 7:11-13,17,23-24

 Dove with the Olive Branch:
Genesis 8:1,4-16,19-22; 9: 11-15,17

Tower of Babel:

Genesis 11:1-9

 Abraham's Tent:
Genesis 12:1-3,6-8

Sarah's laugh:
Genesis 18: 10-15;21:1-7

Isaac"s Ram:
Genesis 22:2-14

 Rebekah's water pitcher:
Genesis 24:1-28,32-33,58,61-64,66-67

Jacob's Ladder:
Genesis 26:20-34;27:41;28:10-22

 Joseph's coat of many colors:
Genesis 37:1-3

         

Miriam's basket and baby Moses:

 Exodus 1:1-22; 2:1-10

 Balaam's Donkey:
Numbers 22: 1-41

 Joshua's Horn:
Joshua 1:1-5; 6:1-5, 10-16,20,27; 24:14-15

Rahab's scarlet cord:
Joshua 2:1-24.6:17,21-23,25

 Gideon's Pitcher :
Judges7:1-24

 Ruth's grain:
Ruth 1:1,3-17; 2:1-12:4:13,17

Samuel's oil lamp:
I Samuel 1:9-18,20,24-28; 3:1-11,19-21

Jesse's "Branch":

1 Samuel 16: 1-7,10-13

Isaiah 11:1-4

David and Goliath:
1 Samuel 17:2-4,8-9,11,13,15-24,28-51

Solomon's soldier and the baby:
1 Kings 3: 5-28

 Elijah's raven"
1 Kings 17:1-6

 Esther's sceptre:
Esther 3: 7-13;4:1-17; 5:1-3

 Sheep:
Psalm 23:1-6

Wolf and Lamb:
Isaiah 11:5-6 

Lion and Lamb:
Isaiah 11:7-9

Daniel's lion:

Daniel 6: 1-28

Jonah's Whale:
Jonah 1:1-17;2:1-10

 The watchtower:
Habakkuk 2:1-4

Calf:
Malachi 4:2

John the Baptist:

Luke 1: 5-27,36,39-41,57-64,76-80

Matthew 3: 1-17

 Angel:
Luke 1:11,19,26-38

Joshua's command:
Joshua:24:15

 David's Harp:

Joseph's the carpenter's hammer:
Matthew 1:19-25

 Mary's little donkey:
Matthew 1:18-25;Luke 2:1-7
This little donkey is covered in real animal fur. He is our favorite ornament of all and everyone wants to be the one to hang him on the tree. Sometimes the only way to have "Peace on Earth,Good Will Toward Men" is for MawMaw to put him on the tree.

Bethlehem nativity star: Matthew 2: 1-15
Micah 5:2-4

The wisemen's camel:
Matthew 2:1-13

The little tree isn't normally on the piano bench or leaning like the Tower of Pisa! I just brought it down from the attic to show it to you. I'll post it again when it is time to decorate for Christmas so you can see it in all it's little Jesse Tree "glory".
We also had an ornament that is shaped like a shepherd's crook for the verses in Luke 2:8-16 but I think it must have been carried off by my little grandson.I guess I'll make another one this week so that it will be ready for our countdown to the Christ child.

Remember, Jesus is the "reason for the season!"