Ok, this is too cool. Has anyone ever heard of this? It's an advent calendar of sorts, but combined with family devotions and tons of meaning! It's called the Jesse Tree.

You hang an ornament on the tree every day and there are devotions to go with each one. It's basically a journey through the lineage of Jesus and the Story of the Bible as you count down the days to Christmas. I think this is a great idea. Imagine how much of the Story your kids would learn each year as you continue this tradition. Maybe next year we'll have a Jesse Tree party and make the ornaments together for families to use throughout the Advent season.

The information is put out by the RCA (Reformed church in America). Here is a description from their website:

The Jesse Tree

"Advent is a time of waiting, a time of anticipation and preparation for the coming of Jesus. There are many ways to get ready for Christmas. One way is through a Jesse Tree.

What is a Jesse Tree? It is a tree branch decorated with symbols representing the stories of people in Jesus' family tree. In Isaiah 11:1 we read, "A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." Jesse was the father of David, Israel's greatest king. And it was from David's lineage that Jesus came. That's where the idea of using a Jesse Tree to celebrate Advent came from. Before a symbol is hung on the branch, a Bible passage or a story from a story Bible is read."

Seriously, go check it out!

or buy a book with patterns...