A new twist on the Advent season

Well, while perusing a few blogs a couple of weeks ago, I found this really awesome idea that I decided to try out this Advent season with the kiddos. While I was planning on doing an Advent calendar, I have never done one before, and I really liked the idea that was given on this blog for younger kids. So instead of doing candy, we are mixing it up with what we are calling a Jesse tree.

Now, everyone that I say this to has no idea what I am talking about, so let me explain the main concept. The idea is that you trace the line of Jesse through the Bible until you get to Jesus on Christmas. So you learn the lineage, as well as most of the 'main' stories in the Bible. You also get to color an 'ornament' the goes with the story of that day, and hang it on your tree.

While the blog wasn't really specific, she did suggest getting a mini tree, but I had this awesome idea last year (okay, okay, PINTEREST had an awesome idea last year) about cutting out a tree from felt and then letting your kiddos arrange felt ornaments on it to their hearts content instead of messing with the real tree. Since I never got around to that last year, I decided to do it this year (what with all the stay-at-home time on my hands), and then came across this blog, and BAM!! Genius was created. So the littles are coloring their ornaments after we read the story of the day, then putting them on their felt tree.

I know. Creative genius in the house.

So we started today, since it is December 1st and all, and will be tracking our way from Genesis to Luke, I believe. Today we read the story of creation. Tomorrow is the garden and so on. I am excited. Bishop really wanted to do more than one day today, but, alas, Advent does mean "coming" and is a season of waiting for the coming of Jesus. So the boy can wait a whole night. Ah, to be 5.

Anyways, today's ornament was a sun, for creation. We colored them, and then put them on the tree.

I was really excited to get this large piece of felt for a total of $1.40 after all the sales and so on for the week before Black Friday. We will use it again next year! I will keep posting pictures of our tree as it fills up! We will have 48 ornaments by Christmas, so it should be pretty full!!

So, do you have a fun Christmas tradition that you do? Do you have an advent calendar? I would love to hear about it!!