Tradition: part one: The Jesse Tree

Traditions are a favorite here at the Bozza home.  Christmas has to be one of the most traditional holidays there are.  I don't want to bore you all at once, so I am going to post them a couple at a time. Today's installment starts with the Jesse Tree. 

The Jesse Tree is an interactive tribute to the lineage of Jesus from the creation of the world to the birth of Jesus.  Each day has a reading that goes along with a symbol which is hung on the tree each day.  Every day, someone reads the reading and a Bozza kid gets to put the symbol on the tree. Each day is different; for instance, the 10 commandments are pictured at the top of the tree in the picture below. The reading is from Deuteronomy (in the old testament) and tells of how the 10 commandments were given by God.
The tree allows the kids to understand the true meaning of Christmas and see the Family Tree of Jesus.  I took shinky dinks and copied the symbols from a couple of different sites online in a thin permanent marker, then the kids helped me color the symbols.  I added the reading passage numbers, punched a hole in it and popped it in the oven to shrink. The little tree was purchased at a craft store or wholesale garden center. 


I detailed more of how it is done on this page;
http://www.ehow.com/how_4706474_jesse-tree.html
Be sure and see the RESOURCE page as it has the patterns there.


It's not too late to start this new family tradition yourself!

Loudly yours,

Alicia