The Twelve Days of Christmas

“On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree.”    

• On December 25, God sent to me Jesus.

“On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me two turtle doves . . . .”

• On December 26, God sent to me the Old Testament and the New Testament.

“On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me three french hens . . . .”

• On December 27, God sent to me the Holy Trinity — God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

“On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me four calling birds . . . .”

• On December 28, God sent to me the Four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

“On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me five golden rings . . . .”

• On December 29, God sent to me the Five Books of Moses/Torah/Pentateuch — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

“On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me six geese a laying . . . .”

• On December 30, God sent to me the six days of creation.

“On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me seven swans a-swimming . . . .”

• On December 31, God sent to me the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven Catholic sacraments.

“On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me eight maids a-milking . . . .”

• On January 1, God sent to me the eight Beatitudes.

“On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me nine ladies dancing . . . .”

• On January 2, God sent to me the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit — Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control.

“On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me ten lords a-leaping . . . .”

• On January 3, God sent to me the Ten Commandments.

“On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me eleven pipers piping . . . .”

• On January 4, God sent to me the eleven faithful apostles.

“On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me twelve drummers drumming . . . .”

• On January 5, God sent to me the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed.

Yes, The Twelve Days of Christmas is more than a cute, nonsensical song.  The Season of Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas; the Christmas Season does not begin until Christmas Day and lasts for twelve days, until Epiphany on January 6.  Each of the twelve days is considered a Feast day of a particular saint — different denominations might celebrate different saints or the saints may have been changed by the Church at various times throughout history.

Whether or not the song was once used as a secret code to teach Catholic children the catechism at a time when Catholicism was outlawed in England, is doubtful.  I believe the song may have been a fun means of learning the tenets of the Christian faith, but the rest of the story is pure folklore.  The song is more likely to be just a secular Christmas carol, much like “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”, with no religious origins.

Advent is a season of hope and of longing, of joyful expectation and of peaceful preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Christmas is a joyous time, twelve days to celebrate the birth of Jesus, leading up to Epiphany, when we traditionally celebrate the Magi bringing gifts to the [toddler], Jesus.

In the modern secular world, December 26 begins the rush to return unwanted Christmas gifts and to seek out the best “after-Christmas” sales.  Many people and businesses begin to remove their Christmas decorations, having put away most of the twinkling beauty before New Year’s Day.  When I was growing up, in the 1950s and 1960s, the secular “Christmas Season” did not begin until after Thanksgiving.  It seems, now, that stores begin displaying Christmas decorations around Halloween, if not before.  Our modern day society has completely lost the true meaning of Christmas.

Because my family has always been devout, we follow the liturgical calendar in giving observance to Holy Days, including Christmas.  My Irish mom did not allow a day to pass without us giving thanks to God for all His blessings.  Christmas and Easter were the most important holidays, or Holy Days, in our home — yes, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny did visit, but we knew from a very young age why we were celebrating.  We observed the important days of Advent and Christmas — the Christmas tree and other decorations were put up about a week before Christmas and they were never removed until Epiphany, January 6, which signifies the end of the Christmas season.

As I write this, we are three days past Christmas — how many of you have already taken down your tree and put away the decorations?  How many of you are aware that the Christmas Season has just begun and will continue for another nine days, until January 6?  How many of you are observing the feast days of the Christmas season?  Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents which, ironically, comes exactly two weeks after the slaughter of innocent children in Newtown, CT.   Today, I attended Mass to remember all the innocent children — the children in Newtown and the children who died to protect the Christ child.

Let us remember to rejoice in the coming of our Lord, Jesus the Christ, who came to save the world! Let us remember that today, December 28, is the fourth day of Christmas.