Christmas Traditions

Our family has lots of Christmas Traditions. I’m sure yours does too. We go to the parades, have parties with friends, go to Christmas productions, do the advent calendars, eat lots of food, and watch all the Christmas movies. We enjoy so many Christmas movies that, on any free night, it inevitably led to a debate over which one to watch. Being a youth pastor at the time, I had a fun digital prize wheel that I added all our favorite Christmas movies to. So, whenever we were free, we’d spin the wheel. Whatever the wheel landed on is the movie we’d watch. No one got mad at mom or dad or sister for the movie that we watched. We could all focus our negative feelings toward the wheel. This became a tradition we still observe and as I’m writing, we’ve watched two movies from the wheel so far this season.

One of my personal Christmas traditions has transpired since I moved to the south. During the season, I like to play my own version of, “How southern are you?” I just ask a simple question, “Where was Jesus born?” The standard answer, of course, is Bethlehem. But I quickly discovered that the southern answer is Bethleham. Even after 10 years, this still makes me laugh.

Rethinking “Christmas Traditions”

All of us have fun, wacky, or weird Christmas traditions, but as I think about that phrase “Christmas Traditions” it seems a bit odd. I equate traditions with the things you do year in and year out that don’t change. Traditions are things that bring a sense of nostalgia and comfort when the holiday season comes each year. But what I’ve noticed about our traditions, especially around Christmas, is that they are always changing.

My philosophy at home matches the philosophy I have at church: if something is not working, we should probably make some changes. As your family grows in size and as your kids age, you have this wrestle with what you want to keep the same vs. what you want to adjust. And sometimes, what you find is that you want to adopt something completely new that becomes a new family tradition for years to come.

We did that about six years ago with the Advent Jesse Tree. This is not another advent calendar counting the days until Christmas. Rather, it’s a short devotional that walks you through the lineage of Christ concluding with the celebration of his birth. The name comes from Isaiah 11:1, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” This is a prophetic declaration of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Linked below, you’ll see the advent devotional our family uses. Each day of Advent there is a devotional reading for children and a separate one for adults so anyone can participate. There is scripture, questions, and a prayer your family can pray together. Each devotional leads you to reflect on a person in Jesus’ family tree and how their story points to his life, death, and resurrection.

The most tangible element of the Jesse Tree involves the symbol used each day to enhance the story. These symbols become ornaments we use to hang on a special tree in our house that we’ve named our Jesse Tree.

Steps to Implement the Jesse Tree

Here are some steps you can take if you would like to implement the Jesse Tree in your home this Christmas:

1. Find something to guide you.You can purchase this book (this is the one our family uses) or you could look up your own set of Scriptures like this one.

2. Create your ornaments.These will look slightly different depending on the exact Scriptures you read, but these can be as simple as finding coloring sheets online with pictures of your symbol. This is a great thing to do with kids, but adults also benefit from a visual symbol. So don’t skip out on this step!

3. Set a time.We’ve struggled with this in the past, as our December calendar fills up with all the events, and we’ve had to read two, three, or four devotions on the same night to play catch up. This year we’re starting our day with the devotional, and it’s been a helpful change. But find what works for your family, and don’t stress if you miss a day. Just pick it right back up the next.

4. Repeat year after year and build a new tradition.

A Favorite Memory

One of my favorite memories from this was reading through it the very first time when my kids were a lot younger. I was amazed at the knowledge they had about stories I know we hadn’t read at home. It made me super thankful for all the wonderful volunteers teaching my kids the word each week at church! The lessons they learn stuck in their mind, and it’s been nice reviewing these stories year after year.

Final Thoughts

Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in with your family. I’ve had some hopes over the years of writing my own version of the Jesse tree and would love to know if it’d be of interest to others.

My hope and prayer is in all things, you take advantage of this special season to point your family toward Christ.

-Pastor Jeff Kammerer