In this post I will be sharing my free printable Catholic Jesse Tree ornaments to colour this Advent season.
What is the Jesse Tree?
The Jesse Tree is a traditional way of telling the story of God’s plan for the salvation of the world from creation all the way to the birth of the Saviour. They are an engaging way to catechize your children during the busy Advent season.
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What are the origins of the Jesse Tree?
As far as I have been able to discover, the Jesse Tree as we know it today, is a blend of two church traditions. The first is that in late medieval art, there was a tradition of depicting the genealogy of Jesus as if from a family tree, with Jesse reclining at the base of the tree and Jesus as the flower or top of the tree.
If you want to check out some of the art, this wiki article has all kind of Jesse Tree art, from stained glass to paintings and carvings.
Another medieval tradition involved putting on biblical plays or dramatized saint stories. The theory is, that our current Jesse Tree tradition evolved from these in the 20th century.
How do you do a Jesse Tree?
There is no set right or wrong way to do this. The general idea is to trace the lineage of Jesus by reading Holy Scripture and creating symbols for each story or character.
The main trouble many families have is finding the time to complete this each day during a very busy season. To help with this, I have created an easy printable version. I also have used slightly fewer stories. Everyone misses days, so do them as you can and you’ll get most of them done!
Depending on the age of your children, you may want to read from a Children’s Bible or simply tell the story in your own words.
What is included in the Jesse Tree?
Some Jesse Tree devotions choose to stick closely to the lineage of Jesus, while others trace the important events of the Bible.
The lineage of Christ as found in the beginning of the gospel of Matthew, is a long family lineage containing three sets of 14 names each. That is too many for most kids! Most people shorten them to accommodate young minds and attention spans.
For Jesse Trees that focus on events — you might see the fall of man, the exodus from Egypt, and so on. These are great for helping kids learn the big picture of the Bible.
I think both ways have a lot of merit. Either way, kids get to encounter the big picture of salvation history.
More Jesse Tree Resources
Want to learn even more about the Jesse Tree? Here are some helpful links and resources.
- Book: The Jesse Tree for Families
- You can also grab my O Antiphons printable and add them to your Jesse Tree as well.
Jesse Tree Schedule For Advent 2024
| Day | Symbol | Scripture | Alternate Ideas |
| Day 1 (First Sunday of Advent) | Set up the Jesse Tree Add the optional tree topper. | Isaiah 11:1-2 (will be repeated later) | Use a bare branch or a small artificial Christmas tree. |
| Day 2 | Creation | Genesis 1:26-31 | Make a clay model Earth |
| Day 3 | The Fall of Man | Genesis 3 | Apple, serpent |
| Day 4 | Noah | Genesis 6:11-14; 7:17-8:3; 9:8-13 | Rainbow |
| Day 5 | Abraham 1 (The Call) | Genesis 12:1-7 | Make a tent with fabric and glue |
| Day 6 | Abraham 2 (Descendants) | Genesis 15:1-6 | Make a popsicle stick star |
| Day 7 | Isaac | Genesis 21:1-7 | Make a small bundle of sticks tied together with string |
| Day 8 (Second Sunday of Advent) | Jacob | Genesis 28:10-17 | Make a ladder with popsicle sticks |
| Day 9 | Joseph | Genesis 37:1-36 | Make a coat with fabric and paint |
| Day 10 | Moses – Burning Bush Moses – Mt Sinai | Exodus 3:1-12 Deuteronomy 5:1-22 | Make stone tablets by painting flat rocks |
| Day 11 | Joshua and Jerico | Joshua 6:1–27 | Use LEGO bricks to make a wall, or use red rope for Rahab |
| Day 12 | Gideon | Gideon 6:11-16, 7:19-23 | |
| Day 13 | Ruth | Ruth 2:1-4:12 | Use dried decorative grasses |
| Day 14 | Samuel | 1 Samuel 16:1-15 | |
| Day 15 (Third Sunday of Advent) | Jesse | Isaiah 11:1-2 | |
| Day 16 | David | 1 Samuel 16:1-15, 2 Samuel 5:1-5 | |
| Day 17 | Solomon | 1 Kings 5:5; 1 Kings 6 | |
| Day 18 | Isaiah | Isaiah 9:2-7, Isaiah 11:6-9 | |
| Day 19 | Zechariah and Elizabeth | Luke 1:5-25 | |
| Day 20 | John the Baptist | Matthew 3:1-6 | Use a seashell |
| Day 21 | Mary | Luke 1:26-38 | |
| Day 22 (Fourth Sunday of Advent) | Joseph | Matthew 1:18-25 | |
| Day 23 | The Visitation | Luke 1:39-56 | |
| Day 24 | Journey to Bethlehem | Luke 2:1-5 | |
| Day 25 (Christmas Day) | The Nativity | Luke 2:6-21 |
Printable Jesse Tree Ornaments
How to Access the Free Printable
- Drop your email in the box below.
- Check your inbox and click through to the PDF.
- Save it to your computer or phone.
- Print it off at home or at your local printer.
- For personal and non-profit use only. I get a lot of requests for parishes to use my printables. Thank you for asking and you are absolutely welcome to do so. Please consider donating if it is within your parish budget by using my Tip Jar, and please pray for me!
- Watermark free versions may be available on my Etsy shop.
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