7 Jesse Tree Quick Takes

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Hello, my name is Sara, and I'm a Jesse Tree Junkie.  I fell in love with the Jesse Tree as a new Catholic when I got these books at a homeschooling conference, so I would know "how" to celebrate liturgical seasons.

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The same year I came into the Catholic Church we moved to the Atlanta area in the fall.  We knew nobody and had no money, because we still owned a house in VA, so the kids and I had plenty of time to make our first set of Jesse Tree ornaments out of salt dough.  We painted them with food coloring, sealed them with Mod Podge.  We put up our artificial tree at the beginning of Advent and began the tradition of doing a Bible reading every night and hanging one ornament.  When we finally put the rest of the Christmas ornaments on on Christmas Eve, or a few days before, I was in love.  There was our beautiful Christmas tree, with ornaments carefully chosen during the early years of our marriage, interspersed with salvation history.  It was all there from the Creation of the Earth to the Fall, to the Sacrifice of Isaac....all the way to the Annunciation.   It made so much sense to me!

I heart the rustic look of these, but we have so few left!

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We eventually sold that house and were able to purchase a smaller, 5-foot tree to use as the Jesse Tree.  We also made a new set of ornaments out of Crayola fast-drying clay last year to replace the broken, original ones.  It was very easy to work with, and we painted them with acrylic paints.  No Mod Podge this time because it makes them a bit sticky and the paper they're wrapped in every year sticks to them!

I'm sad to say that when I unwrapped these just now, for your viewing pleasure, they are all bumpy, as if we sprinkled salt on them.  Not happy, Crayola, not happy.

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This year, one of my friends put together a Jesse Tree ornament swap.  Finally!  I've wanted to do one for years, you know, where you make a zillion of the same ornament and everyone else does the same and then you swap so everyone has a complete set?  They turned out so cute!

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I printed out these from Michele Quigley, today.  I've hesitated over these the past couple of years because I didn't think they would come out well on the printer, but I tried one page and they look great.  

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And, we have this set from Illuminated Ink which is very cute and doable.  I think we have 2, maybe three of these!  I don't know why I bought 2, but Meg won one in one of their old coloring contests.  I brought 2 of the "trees" upstairs yesterday, and I know there's a third because it makes a great place to hang my earrings and bracelets!  ;-) 

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Aaaannnnd, finally, I have instructions for cross-stitching a set of ornaments   One year, when I was into stitching, I planned to make one ornament per day of Advent.  I think I finished one.  And it took more than one day, so that set doesn't technically exist.  

Please tell me there is help for someone like me!  I like to think that my excuse is that with 6 kids, I can send each of them out into the world with a set and I will have done my duty as a Mom.  What do you think?  Tell me about your Jesse Tree or which ornaments you would choose!

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