Jesse Tree, Day 3 (and 4)

So, we were having so much fun making ornaments that we went ahead and did Day 4 (Noah) today. The readings prescribed in the Jesse Tree Project, are a bit much for a 3 yo. I try to read as much as I can, using inflection to make the story more interesting to little ears. I had to paraphrase the readings, especially since we ended up doing 3 days worth of reading and ornament making in just one day. Day 2: God creates man and woman

It seems like one of the most effective methods for teaching the Jesse Tree to the toddler set would be for the parent to read the daily Scripture alone first. Familiarize yourself with the story, then get the child's picture Bible and read the corresponding story with the child, adding the important points from Scripture that are omitted in most children's Bibles (ex: I added that the first thing that Noah did when he and his family left the ark was build an altar and worship God, and that God was pleased by the prayer and thanksgiving.) Day 3: Adam expelled from the Garden

Day 4: Noah

Jesse Tree Project

The Nativity Fast crept up on me this year- probably because of the latest additional to our family- or maybe because I have not been letting my life flow to the rhythm of the Church calendar.

However, I came across the Jesse Tree project online, and knew I wanted to do it with my 3 y.o. who loves to craft as much as her mom. In essence, Jesse Tree is a way creative way to tell the entire story of the Bible up to Christ's birth. Each day, you read a selection of Scripture and then make a corresponding ornament, which then hangs on your tree.


I will attempt to post about our experiences with Jesse Tree Project throughout the Nativity Fast, which, for Orthodox Christians, began on Nov. 15 and will end on Christmas (the Jesse Tree goes through the 12 days of Christmas, too!)

After the first day, I had the little one tell her daddy what we read that day. At first, she said, "I don't know." Then, she showed him the ornament of the sun, and said, "We read that God made EVERYTHING!" I love the fact that you use these ornaments as reference to remember God''s story. Here is a sneak peak at days 2 and 3 before we put them together. Yes, I have already skipped a day. It's alright. This is real life. I have decided to do what I can and pray God uses it. That said, we will do 2 readings today to catch up!

The Joys of the Season

I love traditions. I mean, I'm Southern, for goodness sake. I'm also Orthodox. Whether it's the combination of these titles, my upbringing or my personality, I'm not sure. All I know is, I LOVE a tradition (with a big or little "t"!)

There is no other season for us more steeped in family tradition than Advent and Nativity. The first of these for our Advent season this year is St. Nicholas Day.

As a family, we love St. Nicholas. Who doesn't, right? He is one of the most beloved Saints in the Church. His intercessions have helped us through a specific issue recently, and our love for him has grown stronger. He is a model of humility, generosity, and, of course, piety.

Now that we have a child, I have the immense joy of sharing our family traditions with her. The night before St. Nicholas Day, I hung our stockings on the fireplace screen. (We just couldn't bring ourselves to put nail holes into that mantle that we worked so hard to make look nice!) Anyway, I hung our stockings and filled them with a small trinket for each of us. I got hand-made soap from the farmer's market, E got a movie and Z got one of her favorite things...a panda!

*Side note for those of you who don't know about Z's obsession- I do not use that word lightly- with pandas. Every time we get in the car and start driving towards church, she says 2 things: "A-men!" and "Manna!" (read, "Panda!") not necessarily in that order. You see, there is a giant picture of a panda which advertises the zoo that is on our route to church. She loves reading the panda book, visiting the previously mentioned advertised panda at the zoo, and basically just saying the word "Manna!" at any opportunity.

Needless to say, I was greatly anticipating her reaction to walking into the living room on the morning of St. Nicholas Day to find her true love peeking out of her stocking.

She did not disappoint: