For years, since our oldest boys were very little boys, our family has celebrated Advent. Sometimes more faithfully than others, but every year we have an Advent wreath and an Advent devotional. Our kids represent a wide range of ages and understanding, so it has always presented a bit of a challenge to find a good intellectual fit for everyone, thus the variability in faithfulness. This year, I found Ann Voskamp's Advent Devotional. It includes printable ornaments to be hung on a Jesse Tree.
We weren't really familiar with the idea of the Jesse Tree, so we didn't know how it would go, but I committed to giving it a try.
Each night, as we gathered around our table or in our living room by the fire, we read the stories from Scripture--the stories that show us WHY we need a Savior, the stories that remind us WHO we are, and more importantly WHO Jesus (descendent of Jesse--thus, the Jesse tree) is. Each night, as we read, we remembered. We revisited HIS story, and thereby, our own. Each night, we lit the candles and hung up the ornament that corresponded to the story, and each night we prayed. The time we spent together as a family each night is truly my favorite Christmas gift!
Here is a link to Ann's Advent devotional. It's free and printable. I would recommend it without reservation. It was a great fit for everyone in our family. Our littles enjoyed reviewing all the Bible stories, our biggers got the benefit of Ann's commentary and a deeper understanding of how all of the stories, individually, are great, but when you put them all together--WOW--what a tapestry of mercy, grace, and redemption.
(http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/11/free-christmas-family-devotional-jesse-tree-ornaments/)
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