There are three options to consider when choosing your tree; beauty, simplicity, or symbolism. Your tree will emphasize one of these qualities depending on which one you choose.
Beauty: The Evergreen Tree
The most beautiful option for a Jesse Tree would be using a traditional evergreen tree. Though your Jesse Tree will be simpler than your Christmas tree, using an evergreen will give you the opportunity to make a more beautiful and elegant Jesse Tree. For this, you can choose to use your full size Christmas tree or purchase a smaller artificial tree.
If you’re using your Christmas tree, just make sure you purchase it before December first. You’ll add your Jesse Tree ornaments to the tree throughout December. Then on Christmas Eve, add all of your Christmas decorations to the tree and you will have a beautiful Christmas tree that is rich with meaning.
Lighting Your Tree
To begin you can decorate the tree with lights choosing either white as a simple backlight for your ornaments or purple. Purple is the color of Advent. At Christmas you can replace your Jesse Tree lights with colorful Christmas lights, or simply forgo lights on your Jesse Tree all together.
Simplicity: The Construction Paper Tree
Green construction paper will provide a simple DIY Jesse Tree. A few simple folds will provide a wonderful tree. Once the tree is complete you would tape the tree to the wall. Ornaments can then be taped to the tree.
Symbolic: The Tree Branch
The most symbolic Jesse Tree is the bare tree branch. It is the tree that best represents the prophecy in Isaiah from which we get the Jesse Tree: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” – Isaiah 11:1
Here, Isaiah is predicting that the savior will come from the line of the great King David. Jesse was David’s father.
Jesse is called a stump because David’s kingdom fell apart after his descendants took over and turned away from God. Jesus is like a brand new growth from this stump. And your tree branch will represent both Jesus and the new hope that He brings to the world
For this one, you simply find a good tree branch large enough to hold all of your decorations. Prop it up in a pot filled with soil and you’re ready to go.
Best of both: Magnetic Jesse Tree
This year we wanted to combine simplicity, beauty, and symbolism and created a Magnetic Jesse Tree Set! The Magnetic Jesse Tree set comes ready to use. It includes a magnetic Jesse Tree board, with twenty-five 1 ½ inch magnets each featuring a different Bible character with a unique story and connection to Jesus.
Tree Ideas
Of course there are a number of other ways that you could make your Jesse Tree. We’ve put together this pinterest board to help give you more ideas.
