The Jesse Tree - introduction

The icon above is from the Orthodox tradition of the Tree of Jesse - it traces the lineage of Christ.

 "Genealogical tree of Christ and the Virgin. Jesse the Righteous is reclining at the base and from his body springs a trunk with branches corresponding to the patriarchs. Two angels crown the Virgin. Prophet-kings wear royal robes, crown and sceptre, ordinary prophets a simple mitre."          (17th c., Athos Protaton).

And

 there shall 

come forth a

 rod out of the stem of Jesse,

 and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 

And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, 

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

 the spirit of counsel and might, 

the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 

and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: 

and he shall not judge 

after the sight of his eyes, 

neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, 

and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: 

and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, 

and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And 

righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, 

and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; 

and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;

 and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; 

their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 

And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand 

on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth 

shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there 

shall be 

a root of Jesse,

 which shall stand

 for an ensign

 of the people;

 to it shall

 the Gentiles seek:

 and his rest 

shall be glorious.

Nativity Great Vespers

Isaiah (11:1-10)

In November, 2013 we started a new tradition in our family.  Every day of the Nativity fast, from November 15 to December 24 and on through the 12 days of Christmas, we placed a symbolic ornament on a special tree.  This helped us trace the lineage of Christ through the Old Testament, to the story of His birth in the New Testament. Instead of calling it a Christmas tree, it's referred to as  The Jesse Tree.

Pictures of our ornaments and the corresponding text for each day can be found here in this blog.
I needed ideas for a total of 52 ornaments. Forty for each day of the Nativity fast and an additional 12 for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25 through January 6 -The Feast of Theophany.)

I hope this will be a helpful resource for others.  It was certainly challenging to come up with 52 separate ornament ideas and designs that would either be easy to find and inexpensive to purchase or simple and inexpensive to make.  What follows is simply what I was able to put together with a limited budget, limited materials, limited time, and limited artistic ability.  The readings are pieced together from Scripture, the Prologue of Ohrid, Homilies of Church Fathers, and ancient Hymns.

We wish you a blessed journey through the Nativity fast and a joyous twelve days  of Christmas.

Christ is Born!

Glorify Him!