Twelve days of Christmas has never been so fun! 12 fun days of Secret Santa gift giving to enjoy with your family and friends!
We all know the Twelve Days of Christmas as a song. But did you know that it can also be a fun Holiday event?
During these next thirteen posts, I will show you a Holiday tradition that you and your family {or friends} can do together.
Basically, this is a type of ‘secret Santa’, and each day I will provide you with a free pdf file and let you know what to give for that specific day.
For today’s post, I’m going to start by sharing the meaning of the song.
Although the date the song was first performed is not known, it was used in European and Scandinavian traditions as early as the 16th century. The song was designed to help children remember certain elements of the Catholic faith. The ‘True Love’ mentioned in the song is God Himself. The ‘me’, who receives the presents, refers to man.
1st day The “partridge in a pear tree” is Christ Jesus upon the cross.
2nd day The “two turtle doves” represent the Old and New Testaments.
3rd day the “three French hens” stand for faith, hope and love.
4th day the “four calling birds” represent the four evangelists who wrote the gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
5th day the “five golden rings” stand for the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
6th day the “six geese a-laying” is the six days of creation.
7th day the “seven swans a-swimming” refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit- wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
8th day the “eight maids a-milking” reminds us of the eight beatitudes mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount.
9th day the “nine ladies dancing” were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
10th day the “ten lords a-leaping” refers to the Ten Commandments.
11th day the “eleven pipers piping” refers to the faithful eleven apostles.
12th day the “twelve drummers drumming” were the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed- belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that He sits at the right hand of the Father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.
Even though the song is based on religion, you don’t have to be religious to enjoy the fun of being the ‘secret Santa’ or in this case, a ‘secret pixie’
Be sure to check back tomorrow for details on this fun Holiday tradition and each day after that for the free pdf file for each of the coordinating days!
Thank you for stopping by I Love My Disorganized Life, and please be sure to leave a comment. I love comments!
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