Twelve Days of Christmas

I need some more Christmas spirit in my day.  I have an idea to do the "twelve days of Christmas" this year with my family. The twelve days of Christmas are from December 25th - January 5th.

I have a plan this year to either have small presents, or do a crafty-crafty, or do an act of kindness for each day.  I am in the planning stages right now, so I am "up in the air" about it.  Whatever it is, the whole family will be involved and it will be small- nothing large or extravagant. 

There is a legend that says the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was a Catholic song with references to the basic Catholic faith used to instruct youngsters in a time when Catholicism was outlawed.  It is just a legend- it cannot be confirmed or discredited. Here is what the Twelve Days of Christmas might mean: (http://www.crivoice.org/cy12days.html)

1. 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 feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)
2. Two Turtle Doves- The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.
3. Three French Hens-The Three Theological Virtues: 1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)
4. Four Calling Birds- The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark, 3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.
5. Five Gold Rings- The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: 1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.
6. Six Geese A-laying- The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).
7. Seven Swans A-swimming- The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)
8. 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 5:3-10)
9. Nine Ladies Dancing- The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness, 6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
10. Ten Lords A-leaping- The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)
11. Eleven Pipers Piping- The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.
12. Twelve Drummers Drumming- The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.

I am going to try and match up what we are doing with the Catholic meaning.  For instance, the first day of Christmas has a theme of Jesus Christ.  Luckily we celebrate his birthday, so maybe I will have each of us think of a gift we would give Jesus and we can draw a picture of the gift or write the gift on a piece of paper and put it in the manger under our tree.  This way we can focus on what Christmas is about- celebrating the birth of our Savior, instead of focusing on the presents from Santa.

Who is with me?  Who wants to go on this journey together?  Email me, call me, or comment on my blog.  We can come up with ideas together and share in the joy of Christmas!