The Twelve Days of Christmas (or How many people and objects can you crowd into your home?)

How do you manage Christmas in terms of fitting all invited family members into your home? Do you spill into the yard? Spread out even further?

This former introvert is now a people person who tucks in all I can–the more the merrier. But even I am stunned at the high number included in the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Let’s review the song:

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me,

Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping

Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing

Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying, Five gold rings,

Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves,

And a partridge in a pear tree.

In cumulative verses, the song names a growing number of gifts each day from December 25^th all the way through January 6th. On December 25^th, we start out with a whole lot of noise—twelve drummers drumming, etc. By January 6^th, also celebrated as Kings’ Day, things calm down to only one partridge in a pear tree. (My back yard in Mississippi has two pear trees—I am waiting for partridges.)

Some say the twelve gifts relate to the twelve months of the coming year. If so, I haven’t cracked the code for those meanings yet.

The song is believed to be French in origin, but became popular when published in England in 1780, and now around the world. But just imagine the literal results—a total of 72 people, animals, and objects, all in one place, actively drumming, piping, leaping, dancing, milking, swimming, honking, laying, and/or squawking, in all ways creating maximum noise, mayhem and Christmas celebration overload.

Now it’s your turn. Instead of drummers, pipers, lords, ladies, milkmaids, swans, geese, rings, birds, hens, doves, and a partridge, are there other elements you’d like to have in the song—and maybe present for your family’s celebration?

Thanks for sharing. Now, please have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!