21 Creative DIY Jesse Tree Ornament Ideas
Are you looking to keep Christ the center of Christmas with your family? Have you tried a Jesse Tree? Today I’m sharing all the creative ways you can use a Jesse Tree to keep the focus on Jesus.
The Beauty of the Jesse Tree
This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosures for details.
Most people are familiar with Christmas advent calendar – you know, the countdown to Christmas where every day you open a small gift or eat a piece of candy.
Or maybe, it’s a family activity or an act of kindness.
Many families also read a small piece of the Christmas story that centers around the birth of Christ.
All fantastic ideas.
But have you heard of a Jesse Tree?
What is a Jesse Tree?
A Jesse Tree is a little different than any of the above.
The Jesse Tree starts with the Creation story and traces the Old Testament narrative up to birth of Christ.
I love it because provides excellent context for the Christmas story. It teaches kids that Jesus’ birth wasn’t an isolated event but a part of a larger story that was told centuries earlier (and is still being told).
The name ‘Jesse Tree’ looks to the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1, which foretold of a ‘shoot’ coming from the ‘stump of Jesse’:
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
We know this to be a prophesy about the coming of Jesus. So, a Jesse Tree tells the Old Testament Story that leads right up to His birth.
How Do You “Do” a Jesse Tree?
The idea behind a Jesse Tree is that for each of the days in December, similar to an Advent calendar, there is a Bible story to focus on.
This is done through reading Scripture or a devotional and hanging a symbolic ornament on a tree.
Each picture on each ornament represents the stories leading up to Jesus’ birth.
To ‘do’ a Jesse Tree, basically need 3 things:
- Scripture readings for each day
- An ornament that corresponds to that day
- Something to hang them or display them on
There are almost limitless ways to create ornaments for your Jesse Tree. Today I’m going to share 21 ways!
Be sure to keep reading after you see the ornaments ideas! I’ve also listed creative ways to display your Jesse Tree ornaments as well MORE DIY ornaments ideas!
21 Special DIY Jesse Tree Ornament Ideas
Full Advent Jesse Tree Set
Now this one is just gorgeous! You can get alll that's pictured for free - the gorgeous ornaments, the countdown cards, Scripture readings... I just love the elegant and minimalist style!
Jesse Tree Free Printable Ornaments/Advent Colouring Pages
These are gorgeous hand drawn ornaments, and the ones I chose myself. Below is photo of my version of these ornaments, where I used watercolor paint to fill in the black and white drawings and glued them on to Dollar Tree circle tags. I love that the verses on the ornaments as well.
Hand Drawn Clay Jesse Tree Ornaments
These are beautiful ornaments that you can hand drawn on clay with a Sharpie! Aren't these beautiful??!
Embroidery Jesse Tree Ornaments
How sweet are these? Elizabeth insists this is easy enough for beginners - and she gives you a free template to work from!
Felt Jesse Tree
This is another one that is a really beautiful option. Here, you can learn how to create this tree as well as the ornaments that go with it!
Sculpey Jesse Tree Advent Ornaments
These ornaments are made from Sculpey clay! How great is that?!? This post provides a sample of all the ornaments for you to copy designs!
Jesus Storybook Bible Felt Ornaments
Using a template found here, you can create ornaments from felt for each object in the Jesse tree! Simple and fun!
Wood Jesse Tree Ornaments
This is a fun craft to do as a family - these ornaments are made from simple wood pieces you can get from crafting stores! Hunting them down can be part of the fun, for sure!
Stuffed Felt Ornaments
This is another fun way to create the ornaments - pillow style! These work if you want to use hot glue or fabric glue instead of sewing!
Wood Round DIY Jesse Tree Ornaments
This is another great idea using free printables. Each day's picture is place on an unfinished wood ornament. Elizabeth also included a daily devotional that corresponds with Jesus Storybook Bible.
Jesse Tree Shrinky Dinks
Now how fun is this idea?!? If you're a Gen Xer, Shrinky Dinks is definitely a throwback and something our kids need to experience! What better way!
Foam DIY Jesse Tree Ornaments
These ornaments are made entirely of foam! It just involves tracing some clip art and creating your own version!
Magnetic Jesse Tree
This clever option involves creating magnets for the ornaments and placing them on a hand-drawn tree on a cookie sheet! Love the ingenuity!
How to Make Jesse Tree Ornaments
Tabitha walks us through how she made every single ornament herself! This is a fun idea if you want to include a craft as part of your Jesse Tree advent celebration.
Homemade Jesse Tree Ornaments
Here's another version of homemade Jesse Tree ornaments! These are very kid-friendly, and easy enough to get even the little ones involved in.
The Jesse Tree Kit | Calvary Baptist Church
This is such a generous offering. Here you can download mini ornaments and a paper tree, in either color or black and white. The kit also offers a family devotional to go along with it as well as an adult version. Everything you need right here.
3-D Printable Jesse Tree Ornaments e-book
This is an amazing option! You can get a FREE 105 page printable that has 3-D ornaments in both colored and black and white for you to hang on your tree! Jesse Tree made fun and simple!
Printable Jesse Tree Ornaments & Devos
This free printable set from Faithward allows you to print black and white ornaments to color, or pre-colored versions. There is also a devotional for each day to read from that corresponds with the ornament.
Jesse Tree Poster
This project creates a tree and leaves from aluminum foil! Feel free to use construction paper, cardstock or any other material you like! Another fun craft for the kids to get involved in.
The Jesse Tree Free Printable Set
This is a whole set of printable ornaments and readings... both in colored and black and white for the kids to color!
Printable Jesse Tree for Kids
This printable includes a coloring portion for each day that can be hung and displayed
Did you find some you love? I hope so! There were so many creative and talented ideas for homemade Jesse Tree ornaments.
But there’s still more!
Creative Ways to Display Your Ornaments
Here are some ideas for how and where to display your ornaments:
-
Turn a wreath horizontally like a chandelier – Hang it from the ceiling with ornaments draping down.
-
Add to your mantel garland – Tuck Jesse Tree ornaments into greenery for a festive, meaningful display.
-
Place them in an Advent calendar – Hide an ornament behind each day’s pocket, box, or envelope. This post has 55 different ways to create one!
-
Create your own with branches and sticks – Arrange them in a vase or pot for a rustic Jesse Tree.
-
Designate a mini tree specifically for your Jesse Tree ornaments – A tabletop tree keeps the tradition special and separate.
-
Add them to your family Christmas tree – Blend Jesse Tree ornaments with your usual decorations.
-
Shadow Box or Frame Display – Arrange ornaments in a large shadow box or open frame, adding one each day as part of the Advent countdown.
-
Hanging Wall Banner – Use felt, canvas, or burlap as a vertical wall hanging with little hooks, clips, or pockets to attach ornaments.
-
Wooden Ladder or Blanket Ladder – Lean a rustic ladder against the wall and hang ornaments from the rungs with ribbon or twine.
- Clothesline or Twine Garland – String a length of twine across a window, wall, or doorway and clip ornaments with clothespins.
More Ways to Make a Jesse Tree
There were so many great ideas in the round up – but if you’d like to try a few more handmade ideas, take a look below. You can be creative – they don’t actually have to be ornaments!
These might be fun options if you’ve done a Jesse Tree for years and want to try something new!
- Scavenger Hunt – Investigate your surroundings inside and outside the house to see what you can find to symbolize each day.
- Craft Room Raid – Dig into your craft materials what creative ideas you can come up with to DIY.
- Filled Clear Plastic Ornaments – Choose items or an item to place inside that could symbolize each day.
- Hand Drawn Pictures – This can be done on wood slides, cardstock, or right on plain store-bought ornaments
- Origami – Create folded paper creations to correspond to each day’s symbol.
- Legos – Create symbols out of Lego bricks
-
Nature Finds – Press leaves, acorns, pinecones, or small twigs into ornaments, or use them directly as symbols.
-
Salt Dough – A classic DIY medium for simple, rustic ornaments. You can also use applesauce and cinnamon for a delicious smelling ornament!
- Buttons & Beads – Arrange into Jesse Tree symbols on cardstock or wooden bases
- Yarn & String Art – Wrap around cardboard cutouts to create symbolic shapes.
- Painted Rocks – Smooth stones with painted Jesse Tree images can be hung ribbon or placed in a centerpiece or coffee table bowl.
- Painted Blocks – Paint or draw on block with the Jesse Tree symbols – you can even have several symbols as you have multiple sides to work with!
- Decoupage – Mod Podge paper symbols or Bible verse printouts onto wood slices, wood blocks, Christmas ornaments – or any object you desire.
- Scrabble Tiles or Letter Beads – Spell out key words or names (like “Noah,” “David,” “Jesus”).
Last Minute Jesse Tree Ideas
If you are rolling out of Thanksgiving and realizing that Christmas is just around the corner, you can always purchase a complete set.
Here are a few great options:
The King is Coming (this is one we have and have done ourselves!) uses blocks that have the symbols and comes with a corresponding book.
The Wonder of the Greatest Gift by Ann Voscamp is a gorgeous book with a pop-up tree and ornaments
Jesse Tree Wood Ornaments: This set just has the ornaments, but the corresponding verses are on the backs!
More Christ-Centered Christmas Ideas
If you’d like to grab this free printable with different ideas for a Christ-centered Christmas, just fill out the box below! Perfect to hang on the refrigerator as a holiday reminder!
30 Christian Christmas Ornament Crafts for Kids & Adults
30 Classy Christian Christmas Crafts for Adults
23 Meaningful Printable Christmas Bible Studies to Focus on Jesus
65 Nativity Crafts & Activities for the Family
Prayers for you to have the best holiday lifting up JESUS this season!
Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!
And if you found this post helpful, I’d be so grateful if you pinned or shared. Thank you!
