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SeaStar
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| Posted: Dec 14 2009 at 7:27am | IP Logged
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We did a Jesse tree for the first time last year- very simple with maybe 10 cut and color ornaments on a paper tree.
This year we moved up to a purchased kit with 12 color and cut, then assemble, 3-D ornaments.
The kids seem to like it well enough, but it isn't something that I can say is adding a lot to our Advent celebration. We make the ornament and read the verse, and then it's on to the next thing.
I am wondering if my expectations for this activity are wrong. Right now it feels a little ho-hum, or: oh, we have to do our Jesse tree ornament still. Another thing to check off at an already busy time of year.
Is this an activity that has its merits in tradition over time? I love the idea of it and think it's very interesting to know the history building up to the Nativity. Maybe my kids are young still for this.
I am wondering if over the summer I should try to assemble a set of real (not paper) ornaments for a more substantial tree or just let the whole thing go. 
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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mathmama
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| Posted: Dec 14 2009 at 7:47am | IP Logged
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We are doing one this year. This is the first year we have done it and stuck with it (we have been doing it since 11/15 because we are Byzantine and our Advent is longer). I have to say that my kids are not necessarily "getting" each reading. I try and explain it as best as I can. I know that hearing this year after year will help and their maturing will help as well. The thing I *really* like about it is that it makes us stop everyday and think about Jesus' upcoming birth. I find that this time of year no matter how hard I try eventually our preparation for Christmas starts to wane. This is something that is planned out already and is all set for each day. The kids are always excited to do it because even if they don't get the story they love the craft. The whole thing can take us just 30 minutes or so although the kids often take longer to do their craft because they are enjoying it so much. I have found it to be a true blessing to my family this year.
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Beth, wife to Tom and mommy to 4 beautiful girls:
Therese 11/04
Anna Mary 6/07
Veronica 10/09
Theodora 11/12
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Mary G
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| Posted: Dec 14 2009 at 7:48am | IP Logged
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We do tend to get a little less enthusiastic as the days go on ... we do it everyday till Christmas Eve and the interest definitely wanes.
But, if I forget to do it ... the kiddoes remind me so I guess they like it! It's such a great catechism in a nutshell! Also, if you haven't seen the book The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean ... that really got us into it and is what we used for our ornaments for the Jesse tree. This is the first year we're NOT reading the book (we would read a "chapter" each night and the kids took turns hanging the ornament) and the kids are not happy! Guess, we'll go back to it next year. 
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MaryG
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my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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melanie
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| Posted: Dec 14 2009 at 7:56am | IP Logged
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Our Jesse Tree is a BIG DEAL...lol. We really base Advent all around it though. Here's what we do...I'll warn you, this sounds really overwhelming, but it's just kind of evolved and we do really enjoy it.
--our Jesse tree ornaments are really favor bags, like those little organza ones that you see at weddings. We printed, colored, and cut the ornaments out of cardstock and glued them onto one side of the bags, and on the other we numbered the bags for each day of Advent. We hang them all on a garland number side out when Advent starts, and then each day we take one down and hang it picture side out on the tree.
--inside each bag is something to find. Sometimes a small piece of candy for each child, sometimes a scroll with directions for the next day like "watch Charlie Brown Christmas" or a read aloud/activity type of thing that I've dug out of a blog or Christmas Mosaic.
--my one remaining beef has been for the readings...I wanted more than a verse to tie in the whole actual story of what the Jesse Tree is, but I didn't want long huge bible readings either. We have had some of both. I've ordered a book for next year called The Jesse Tree,,,it's waiting for me at Barnes and Noble right now in fact. :) It has an orange cover...I can look it up for you on amazon if you are interested. It's a picture book with parts to read each day. We got a book like this for Lent last year and it was a big hit.
Ok, have to run, the house is waking up around me. 
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Melanie
homeschooling Maria (13yo), Kain (10yo), Jack (5yo), Tess (2yo), and our newest blessing, Henry Robert, born 4/23!
slightlycrunchycatholic.blogspot.com
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JennyM
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| Posted: Dec 14 2009 at 3:59pm | IP Logged
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I just completed our set of "ornaments" over the weekend, and we are LOVING the Jesse Tree this year. I followed the suggestions from Serendipity, but changed some symbols to make them work a bit better for us.
Now, my daughter just turned 2, but I knew she had the capacity to understand some of it if I presented it in an age-appropriate way for her. So, I'm not really approaching it as a Jesse Tree- in the sense of Jesus' genealogy. Rather, we just take an ornament and I tell her the related story-- adding in flair and dramatics of course to keep her interested  . One of her bibles that we've been reading through at bedtime has short stories that fit well with each of our symbols... so, if she makes a connection or wants to read from that she'll run and get her little bible and we'll read. If not, or she's not really into it on a particular day, that's fine. It is SO wonderful to see her making these little connections, learning the names of the OT figures, and anticipating the stories I tell.
When I talk about each ornament I focus on the relationship God had with each of the OT people, the special job he gave them to do, or the promise God made them, whatever. Then, I focus on how these people loved God and listened to and obeyed Him (something we're working on at two, of course!) and God blessed them. So, relationship-love-obey-blessing are the main things and simple enough for her to begin to understand these things. Whenever we add a new ornament or two, we usually end up going through all of them from the beginning again-- by now she's figured out the order and loves it.
I also just made the ornaments out of felt and added some sparkles here and there to some of them. We just use our plain felt board right now, since we're not doing the ancestral tree concept anyway. She can play with and move the ornaments all she wants that way too-- right now they're all lined up on her little table.
I'm sure as she gets older my stories and any reading we do along with it will grow and mature with us, but for now we're really having fun playing and learning with this.
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 JennyM
Wife to wonderful husband, mama to Anne (12/07), and two precious little ones with God
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missionfamily
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| Posted: Dec 14 2009 at 5:24pm | IP Logged
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I am using Ann Voskamp's e-book The Glorious Coming this year. Some of the symbols are a little different than the set we had made, so I had to plan ahead and remake some ornaments. But having the Scripture story (these are not just verses) plus meditation and short prayer to read each morning has really added so much to this tradition for us. IN the past, our experience was much like you described, but this year, these meditations have really been the heart of our Advent prayer life.
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Colleen
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ekbell
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| Posted: Dec 14 2009 at 6:14pm | IP Logged
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I've normally made a Jesse tree poster and the children each color and put up a symbol for each day during our Advent Meditations each day.
This year I have the Advent Faith Folder which includes a Jesse Tree and we've been using the symbols and readings from that I've enjoyed the way the recommended readings show the fulfilment of the Old testament in the new.
Some days are absolutely miserable with screaming youngsters and some days are wonderful with engaging discussions, artfully colored symbols and lovely singing. What I've found is that it works best if you (and your husband) are doing it for yourself as much as the children.
However, I know from experience that in the long run, this will simply end up as part of what Advent IS (and that a basic knowledge of the ancesters and prophecies of Jesus will be engrained).
I grew up with Jesse tree readings, my parents settled on the readings here The Jesse Tree and my mom made cross-stitch ornaments for each symbol. We gathered together, lit the candles on the Advent Wreath, said a prayer, read the reading, and sang one 'serious' song (advent hymn) and one 'fun' song (any christmas season song).
Each child had their own songbook and all those who were old enough to understand what was going on took turns choosing the prayer from the family prayer books and choosing the songs (non-readers would choose from the prayer book with pictures).
And as I've said this has become a essential part of Advent- I don't think it would feel like Advent without these Advent meditations.
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LLMom
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| Posted: Dec 14 2009 at 8:32pm | IP Logged
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This is our 3rd year with the Jesse Tree book that Mary G. mentioned and it is not going over as well. They love the story, but maybe it is too much as we are also reading Bartholomew's adventure. Seems the day gets away and we are now several days behind. Maybe we will finish up by just putting on the ornaments.
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DivineMercy
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| Posted: Dec 14 2009 at 10:05pm | IP Logged
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Before I start I want to say I am not a crafty person at all and my boys are 5, 3, and 2.
Last year, we lit the Advent Wreath candle at dinner and I read the Jesse Tree reading while the boys were eating, however; on the fourth day of Advent the candle fell over and burned a hole in the vinyl tablecloth. I freaked out and decided we weren't meant to do it and we stopped with the Jesse Tree and Advent Wreath for the year.
This year, we are actually doing extremely well. Mind you, we just color the symbol and glue it to a poster-board tree my boys painted, but we have done it every night and we have added other things as well. We light the candle; then say the St. Andrew Christmas prayer; then we were doing the Immaculate Conception novena, but are now singing a verse of O Come Emmanuel; then we read the Jesse Tree Reading and glue the symbol to the tree, then we read a Christmas picture book; then we read Jotham's Journey, last we move Mary and Joseph closer to the manger and blow out the candle.
The 2 year old plays with the VeggieTales nativity set we have and is usually pretty happy. There are nights that he decides he would rather not do it and starts to scream his head off so he gets put in his bed with a board book and I finish up with the older two.
We don't have many outside commitments so doing this immediately after dinner has been a great way to make sure it is part of our routine. My main goal for the Jesse Tree was to keep our Christmas more Christ centered and I feel it is doing that.
Praying for you through this Advent,
Michelle
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TracyFD
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| Posted: Dec 15 2009 at 3:45pm | IP Logged
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Ours is a little ho-hum too, to be honest. We made 3-D ornaments and are using the readings from Faith & Family. I was thinking of switching to the McCaughrean book and will now also consider the Voskamp book for next year even if I have to revise the ornaments to fir the readings. Thanks for the ideas! Maybe the readings have more to do with the effectiveness than the ornaments?
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Tracy
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ekbell
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| Posted: Dec 15 2009 at 4:46pm | IP Logged
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DivineMercy wrote:
We don't have many outside commitments so doing this immediately after dinner has been a great way to make sure it is part of our routine.
Michelle |
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One of the things I've found most important in actually doing regular activities such as the Jesse tree readings is to tie it to something we do everyday. We also do our Jesse tree readings after dinner (Just prayer and the readings as my husband has to go to work right after).
My other advent reading to the children have been scheduled for after my daily walk (something I've been working on doing regularly since late August).
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pixilated_momma
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| Posted: Dec 17 2009 at 1:39pm | IP Logged
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With a full-time job and a baby, I've had to whittle down the Advent/Christmas stuff to favorites and Super Important Stuff (like getting the kids to their choir practices on time, LOL) ... so when it comes to the Jesse tree, I really let the kids guide when and if to do it.
We talked about the Jesse tree and have a book to read on the dinner table, so some nights, the girl will say, "Hey, Mommy! We need to do this!" and we sit down and I read and they color some. Some nights, they are so busy playing or doing something else that they forget, and I let it go. We'll catch up (or not) the next night.
The main focus is the feeling of expectancy and coziness and preparing for Christmas, so I try to make the Jesse tree be something that is very child-led. I'm not way in everything ... but with something like this, I do feel it's helpful (and less stressful) to make it more child-directed ...
Incidentally, I know people who are just starting their Jesse trees today, so it's all about doing what works (or doesn't) for you. I'd love (and dream!) of doing the antiphons, but I just can't get to it this year. Rather than force it, I'm just jotting down ideas and crafts for next. The best thing about the liturgical year is that if you don't get to it this year, you always have the next one.
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Veronika
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| Posted: Dec 18 2009 at 8:14am | IP Logged
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I totally agree when you say that it's all about what works for your family. We sometimes get so busy at the end of the season that our poor tree gets negected, but that's OK. As a whole, it's been a great tool. We've been doing the Jesse tree lessons for about 10 years now and the older children still come running whenenver we get out the book each night! I really didn't expect the teenage kids to still be so ethusiastic but it seems that they've made this activity part of their childhood. They have fond memories of each one of the bible stories as they've been told over the years and each ornament that they've made is not only precious to me and my husband, but to them too! While the little ones make their craft, we've started to use the stories as our "theme of the day" and open up a discussion about aspects of the scriptures that are useful to the teens. This is one of our family's favorite Christmas activities and one that's been most useful to me in educating my children in the faith. I'm glad we stuck with it all these years.
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Veronika
devoted wife and Apostolate of Holy Motherhood Mom of 5 precious children: daughter '94, son '96, son '98, and twin daughters '02...
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: How's your Jesse tree going?
