idea to prepare your heart for Christmas

Wait. Was that the sound of the calendar just flipping?

It’s December 1. (Or 1 December, as they say here.)

I’ve heard about the Jesse Tree for a few years. The name is based on Isaiah 11:1, in which Jesus is prophesied about as the shoot coming out of Jesse’s branch. (Jesse, the father of King David, the great-great-something grandfather of Jesus). This year, being overseas, I decided this is the year to start a new tradition.

So if you’re like me, looking for a way to add a daily, meaningful nugget into your life, preparing your heart for Christmas, this might be something you’d enjoy. You can do this by yourself, or with your family. I’d think even older kids might enjoy. We started this today, the 1st, but it’s never too late to jump in.

If you’re close to a bookstore, grab a copy of Ann Voskamp’s “Unwrapping The Greatest Gift” and you’ll have everything in front of you.

Or, you can join me in getting what you need, printed from the web. With the exception of finding a real, life stick, if possible. Like a tree stick. Yes. More on that below.

Things we’re using:

• A copy of this 6-per-page coloring sheets for kids, one square for each day, starting December 1.
• A copy of these sheets (sticky-note-sized squares) for truth reminders for big people in your house (aka me)
• A copy of the sheet that gives a story from the Jesus Storybook Bible to read every day that corresponds to the Jesse Tree. (If you don’t have it, it’s $1.99 on Kindle right now. Or buy a physical copy. So so so worth it. I think I might love it even more than my kids.)
• A branch of some kind, or you could always draw/make a tree out of paper and put on the wall. We scored our branch on a nature walk at a nearby park last week when Fun Mom kicked Angry Mom out of the house to go on an adventure. I hung it on the wall with Command Hooks, the company I’m solely keeping in business because we can’t put holes in walls as a renter in Australia.

So, this morning, this is what we did at breakfast:

The kids colored the picture for the day and I read what the square says and the Bible verse that goes with it. I can’t figure out where to buy string nor a hole punch to hang them so I settled for masking-taping it to the wall. We read the story that corresponds in the Jesus Storybook Bible. We cleared up breakfast dishes and I taped the big-person truth reminder on my pantry door.

It’s not about getting it all perfectly set up, I keep reminding myself. May I/our family see and savor Jesus more this season. That’s what I want.

P.S. I was just reminded that my friend and past co-worker, Erik, published a daily Advent nugget online. Really good stuff.

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