Jesse Tree Traditions

During the Middle Ages, artists began depicting the ancestry of Christ in the form of a tree. The imagery is drawn from Isaiah 11:1, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” The “branch” is understood by Christians to be Jesus, a descendant of Jesse, the father of King David. The “Jesse Tree” can be found in medieval stained glass windows, illuminated manuscripts, stone carvings, embroideries, etc. Interestingly, the use of a tree to represent the genealogy of Christ is believed to be the origin of the term “family tree” that refers to (or depicts) a person’s genealogy.

Jesse Tree Traditions
Since Jesse Tree imagery is a powerful visual way to demonstrate God’s work through history (and the fulfillment of prophecy that the Messiah would be born through a specific lineage), it has become a popular Christmas tradition for Christian families. The images (usually hung as ornaments on a tree) have expanded over time to include not just people but symbols of significant events in the story of the Bible that lead up to the birth of Christ. There are several variations of this tradition — many of them are listed below with free instructions and printables!


			Clay Ornaments By Half a Hundred Acre Wood Images and Devotions Available at RCA
			Coloring Ornaments By Healthy Family Includes Ornaments, Verses, and “O Antiphons” O Antiphons are described here.
			eBook Family Devotional By Feels Like Home Includes Devotions and Kid-Friendly Songs
			Felt Tree and Ornaments By Festal Celebrations Corresponding Devotions Available Here
			Hand-Drawn Ornaments By The Unlikely Homeschool Includes Symbols and Verses
			Magnetic Ornaments By Milk and Cookies Blog Corresponding Devotions Available Here See another magnet idea at A Thousand Words
			Ornament Exchange 1 By Raising Clovers
			Ornament Exchange 2 By Beauty and Bedlam
			Painted Ornaments By Domestic Church Includes Images and Verses
			Printable Elegant Ornaments By Michele Quigley Ornaments Include Verses
			Printable Ornaments and Devotions By Faith Magazine Includes Images and Devotions
			Printable Ornaments and e-Book Devotions By 1+1+1=1 Includes Images, Devotions, and Calendar Cards
			Salt Dough Ornaments (Microwaved) By In Lieu of Preschool Devotions From This Book
			Shrink Plastic Ornaments By Festal Celebrations Includes Images; Devotions Available Here