Christmas Traditions - Jesse Advent Tree

We are starting a new family tradition this year. Last year my friend April had a great little devotional book for the Advent season. Here it is. Starting Dec 1st there is an ornament every day that tells the Christmas story and how it unfolds from the creation of the world. Jake is really enjoying it and the ornaments are great visuals for us to talk about. Last year after Christmas, I went to Old Time Pottery and bought the decorated paper mache boxes and got 25 boxes for $26. I just bought various sizes so I knew all the ornaments would fit. Some of the ornaments I have made and some I just bought. I have spread it out over the year so it wouldn't be so expensive at once. This is a great family tradition to pass on to your children and theirs as well. We do our devotion for breakfast in the mornings because John is available then to do it with us. We are also reading a great story of advent called Jotham's Journey. We read this to them a chapter a night before bed. I will post a pic of each ornament through the month as I put it on the tree. Hope you are inspired to start some traditions with your family!!!!

Day 1: The world
What I did:
-Styrofoam ball, scraps of blue and green material, long straight pin, Elmer's glue, blue ribbon
-Water down the glue to 2 part glue and 1 part water. I cut the blue scraps into about 2-3" pieces and glued the fabric (with a paint brush) front and back and then added it to the ball. I covered the ball in blue fabric and put 3 coats of glue mix over it letting it dry in between. I took the green scraps and loosely mimicked the continents and glued them on the ball. Then I put 2 coats of glue mix over all of it letting it dry completely in between. I tied my ribbon to the straight pin and put hot glue on the tip and stuck it into the ball. It is very easy to make you just have to leave it and come back to it over the course of a day or so in order for the glue to dry.

Oh and we are making a HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS Christmas tree. I bought a $25 6 ft tree at walmart and am in the process of making a few birthdayish ornaments to go on it. I blew up red and green balloons small and stuck them in the tree for filler and I am going to make a garland to put on the tree and then a party hat for the top. We are going to fill the rest of the tree with the 25 ornaments through the season and then we will have the birthday party Christmas morning. More on that later but I just wanted you to know what tree we were putting this on. It could be incorporated into your regular tree if you wanted.