12 Days of Christmas

I decided to do the 12 days of christmas for a lady at church who is alone during this holiday season who I thought could use some extra love. I did a lot of work and a little research, so I thought I'd share with you, in case you're in the giving mood this holiday season.

On the 13 of December I will leave this stuff on her doorstep along with a homemade ornament (the poem will be separate from the history):

Twas the first day of Christmas and all through your house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
When lo on your doorstep you heard such a clatter,
You sprung to your feet to see what was the matter

This gift and this note that you found by your door,
Are firsts in the line; you’ll be getting twelve more.
Each one will have with it a verse and a scripture.
We hope by the end, you’ll get the big picture.

Tonight the first night, this sign you’ve been given,
One ring of your doorbell, not six and not seven,
But from every night hence, one ring of your phone
Will signal the gift out in front of your home.


A Little History
To truly celebrate the The Twelve Days of Christmas, we would have to wait until after our American version of the holiday is over. Contrary to much popular belief, these are not the twelve days before Christmas, but the twelve days between Christmas the Epiphany (January 6th). And although I think it would be wonderful to celebrate the Twelve Days this way, I wanted you to feel loved before the big day arrived, so we’re just going to have to acknowledge that we’ve gone off track and move on with our lives.

But before we do, I thought you might be interested in a little of the history behind this celebration:

In the Western church, Epiphany is usually celebrated as the time the Wise Men or Magi arrived to present gifts to the young Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12). Traditionally there were three Magi, probably from the mention of three gifts in the Nativity story, even though the biblical narrative never says how many Magi came. In some cultures, January 6th is observed as Three Kings Day, or simply the Day of the Kings. In some places it is traditional to give Christmas gifts for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas, in others, they give gifts only on January 6th. It is purely American to give all the gifts on or before Christmas.

The popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children with secular origins. However, some have suggested that it is a song of Christian instruction, perhaps dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Christian Faith. They contend that it was a mnemonic device to teach the catechism to youngsters. The "true love" mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith. Each of the "days" represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for children to learn.

Whether the song has religious origins or not should not prevent us from using the song in celebration of Christ at Christmas. Now when we hear what we once thought was only a “nonsense song,” we can be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.

The rest of the nights, I will leave the gift in parentheses, the poem verse, and the meaning behind the original gift as outlined below.

Poem verses:

Night 1 (pears)
Tonight calls for a partridge along with a tree,
But partridges are tough catches, you see.
Now, how 'bout some pears, instead of the bird.
Indeed they taste good, or so we have heard.

Night 2 (chocolate turtles & dove chocolates)
Tonight you’re supposed to have wee turtledoves,
But chocolate is something that everyone loves.
So instead of two birds who might look cute and coo
we’re leaving some candy especially for you.

Night 3 (chicken plate with goodies)
Night three arrives, but we’re not in France,
And French hens aren’t something you come on by chance.
But chickens are popular here in the States,
And along with some goodies, you can find them on plates.

Or (fast food certificate)
Night three arrives, but we’re not in France,
And French hens aren’t something you come on by chance.
But French fries are quite common here in the States,
You can have them with burgers or just a milk shake.

Night 4 (bird ornament)
The four calling birds we just couldn’t make out,
The species of bird was not beyond doubt.
We’re hoping the real ones are small, white, and pretty,
Because that’s what we got you to put on your tree.

Night 5 (bagels)
On the fifth day of Christmas gold rings are the fare,
But gold is expensive, and we’re not millionaires.
One ring for each finger seems too much anyway,
And these golden rings taste much better, I’d say.

Night 6 (fresh eggs with recipe)
Six geese a-laying-- an interesting sight.
One of them squawked and they all took to flight.
You’ll see what they left in their nests with a look,
And this recipe’s great if you use them to cook.

Night 7 (goldfish)
On this day of Christmas, how nice it would be,
If seven swans a-swimming you could look out and see.
But the pond was quite empty since the swans have gone south,
We only found goldfish to put in your mouth.

Night 8 (jug shaped vase)
On the eighth day of Christmas, the maids were out shopping.
Their milking, in haste, was clearly forgotten,
Their empty milk jugs were all left in the hay,
We filled one with flowers to brighten your day.

Or (movie certificates)
On the eighth day of Christmas, the maids were out shopping.
Their milking, in haste, was clearly forgotten,
The cows were upset that they got left behind,
And are sharing some moo-vies to help you unwind.

Night 9 (Christmas CD) extremely
Nine ladies dancing would be such a crowd,
And the music they dance by would be awfully loud.
Instead we have brought a CD full of songs,
So you can be merry the whole season long.

Night 10 (grandpa’s butter caramels)
Ten lords a-leaping would be a grand gift,
Too bad they got stuck jumping through a snowdrift.
In honor of the poor lords’ sticky plight,
We made you some carmels to savor tonight.

Night 11 (hot cocoa mix)
Eleven pipers piping makes us think of our plumber,
Though to leave him as a gift would be a real bummer.
Instead use your pipes to make some hot water,
‘Cuz cocoa can make hearts and hands a lot hotter.

Night 12 (small nativity set)
One dozen drummers would be a grand sight
On this 12th day of Christmas (and our final night)
But the noise of their drums would make such a ruckus,
That we chose something else as a last gift from us.

As you open the wrap you will see it’s a scene
Of Christ’s birth here on Earth, so low and so mean,
His mission in life was to love and to save us;
May we all reminisce on the real meaning of Christmas.

We hope you felt loved during the holidays! Merry Christmas!

Origins of gifts from the song:

A Partridge in a Pear Tree
The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that risks her life to lure predators from her helpless nestlings, just as Christ gave his life that we might be saved from sin.
Luke 13:34

Two Turtle Doves
The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness of Christ’s divinity.
John 5:39

Three French Hens
The Three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity.
1 Corinthians 13:13, Alma 7:24, Moroni 7

Four Calling Birds
The Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Mark 1:1-2

Five Gold Rings
The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch.
John 5: 46-47

Six Geese A-laying
The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world.
Genesis 1
Seven Swans A-swimming
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-11; Doctrine and Covenants 46:11-26

Eight Maids A-milking
The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.
Matthew 5:3-12; 3 Ne 12:3-12

Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23

Ten Lords A-leaping
The ten commandments.
Exodus 20:1-17; Mosiah 13:12-24

Eleven Pipers Piping
The eleven Faithful Apostles. The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus to the Romans.
Luke 6:14-16

Twelve Drummers Drumming
The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' (or Nicean) Creed.
In the LDS church, it would be 13 for the 13 Aritcles of Faith.
Pearl of Great Price: A of F