First Christmas

When do you decorate for Christmas?

We do it the day after Thanksgiving, and it has become a tradition we love.   It seems like just the other day, we had a toddler bringing ornaments to put on the tree, and a baby helping to hang his special ornament. Now, one has a husband, and one is on the other side of the world.  Some parts of our event change over time; some stay exactly the same year after year.

• We usually have Chex mix.
• We put the nutcrackers all over the place, but the kids argue over who gets to put the ugly one on top of the refrigerator facing backwards.
• I put the stocking hangers that spell N.O.E.L on the mantle.  Then someone sneaky rearranges them to spell. L.E.O.N.
• We buy an ornament to represent something special from each year, and we have the same conversation as we put the each "special ball" on the tree. 
• "Awwww... here's mine from when I was born!"
•  "I want to hang the one from when I was born!"
• "Here's the first Disney one!  That year the castle was pink like a birthday cake!"
• "Remember that trip to Yosemite?  We need to go back."
• "Here's the Key West ball.  Remember those roosters?"
• "This one's from 1994, what were we doing then?"
• "Be careful with this Mount St. Helens one.  Do you think that's really ash on it?"
• Then we get to the ornaments the kids made.
•  "How come my Pokeman ornament on the toilet paper roll has to hang on the back of the tree again!"
• "Ohhhh.... Look how cute I was!"
• There was a moody teenager on the couch for several years in a row.  It was odd a couple of years ago, when we noticed everyone participating again.  (My husband volunteered to lay on the couch and play the moody teenager role - just to keep that tradition alive!)

Our tree is very beautiful - no nothing matches, and no it doesn't have a theme.  But, suits our family perfectly.  

I don't think we get to decide which traditions will stick.  I think they just sort of happen - then happen again, and again.

Thanks to Micah for letting me paint him as he put ornaments on the tree for the first time.  I wonder what will traditions will become important in his family...  

[SOLD]

:) Jesse Tree

What is a Jesse Tree ornament?

There's a brand new Etsy shop called Inspired Traditions.  

Have a look!  And learn about these beautifully crafted ornaments!

The Jesse Tree tradition began as a family tree for Jesus. It originates from Isaiah 1:1, which says, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse". Jesse, the father of King David, is one of the patriarchs through whom Jesus' lineage is traced. This Jesse Tree ornament set can be used much like an advent calendar. Advent, meaning "coming", refers to the anticipation of the coming Christ. There is an ornament for each day in December through Christmas day that depicts a story from biblical history. For each symbol there are correlating Old Testament and New Testament scriptures. These stories give a "refresher" of the Bible as a whole, all the while reminding us of how the scriptures are all connected in the theme of God's grace. Some of the Old Testament symbols were chosen because a person in the story is in the lineage of Christ while others because Jesus himself referred to some part of the story. The New Testament symbols chosen have the prophecy scriptures referenced from the Old Testament. From the story of creation to the story of the wise men following a star, each symbol was chosen to help tell the story of God's plan to bring us back to himself through Jesus. The Jesse Tree displays the story of the coming Christ, carved out through history, by the sovereign hand of God.

What makes this Jesse Tree set unique is that every one of the 25 ornaments has both an Old Testament scripture reference and a New Testament reference. I made these for my family to teach my three children the true meaning of Christmas. Each day from December 1st to Christams Day, my kids place one of these ornaments on our tree after we have read to them the story behind the symbol. In the last month of the year, they get a reminder of a few of the stories they have learned throughout the year, in chronological order, and hear again how the Bible as a whole is connected through the grace of Jesus as we prepare to celebrate his birth.


If you'd like to purchase a set of Jesse Tree Ornaments, click the link to go to the Etsy listing.