Twelve Days of Christmas

A simple celebration of the 12 Days of Christmas can help us keep Christ in Chrismtas.

The secular celebration of Christmas often leaves us hurried and harried and sends our children into an excited frenzy that ends with a family-room litered with tinsel and torn wrapping paper. We can use the 12 Days of Christmas not as an extension of the same festivities, but a time to greet the New Year and renew our hearts with Christ's presence.

History of the Twelve Days of Christmas

The Eastern Orthodox church originally celebrated Christmas on January 6. With the date of the holiday moved to December 6, the twelfth day became a reminder of the wisemen's visit to Jesus.

Historically, it has been celebrated in different ways by different church traditions and different families.

Here are a variety of ways you might incorporate it into your family.

Symbolism from the Song

Proposed Meaning of that Partridge in the Pear Tree

Debate continues as to the original meaning of the well-known cryptic song. In some circles the gifts were considered symbols for teaching major points of Christian teaching to those who could not read. Lists will differ, but here is one such list.

First Day: One Savior
Second Day: Two covenants (Old Testament and New Testament)
Third Day: The Greatest (Faith, Hope, Love)
Fourth Day: Four Gospels
Fifth Day: The Pentateuch
Sixth Day: 6 Working Days of Creation
Seventh Day: 7th Day of rest and worship
Eighth Day: Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)
Ninth Day: Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26)
Tenth Day: Ten Commandments
Eleventh Day: Eleven Faithful Disciples
Twelfth Day: 12 gates of heaven (Revelation 21:21)

You can find pages to color for each of the different days on sites like this one: 12 Days Coloring Pages.

Twelve Days of Receiving Gifts

Before I had children I had read about a family that de-emphasized gifts by allowing their children to open one gift a day and ended by opening the last gift Christmas morning. I did this with our children for many years and found several benefits. It took the emphasis away from the excitement of their own gift-getting frenzy. It allowed them to participate day-by-day in Christmas activities and to give as much as to get. And it allowed them to write their thank you notes one at a time as they opened their gifts.

We have since met others with a similar tradition, but gift opening starts December 25 and ends January 6.

Other traditions that our family and others have adopted include:

Small gifts (like stocking stuffers) are given each day from Dec 25 and get their main gift January 6.
Celebate December 25 with grandparents and other relatives; January 6 is the celebration of the immediate family
Make January 6 a date of undecorating Christmas and redecorating for the new season.
Save the stocking stuffers for January 6. Close with a special meal and family time.

12 Days and 12 Ways of Giving

We all know it is better to give than receive, and here are 12 ways to spread the joy of giving into the New Year and make it a way of life. You can do one of these each day or pick and choose.

Save all change for twelve weeks. Vote what charity will get your change.
Put aside a shoe box for next year's Christmas shoe box drive for a child in a third world country. Where will you keep the box? What will be the first item in it? You may vary well fill it more than one easily by the time Christmas comes around again.
Choose a hygiene item to collect for a homeless shelter. One item can be purchased with every weekly shopping trip.
Homemade bread or cookies are always fun to share.
Do you know anyone who is grieving, lonely, or depressed? How can you cheer them?
Donate items that have been outgrown to a used-community store.
Volunteer at a community clean up.
Baby sit without charge for a family in need.
Invite a child who doesn't have many friends on one of your outings.
Is your own physical home in need? Set goals on how you can improve, fix, or save money to meet that need.
Your local birds would appreciate a well-stocked bird feeder in your yard.
Food banks, crisis pregnancy centers, missionary closets, and disaster relief organizations can all benefit from thoughtful donations all year round.

Twelve Days of Meditation

With the official community celebration behind us, we can embrace the next days of quiet to focus on our own relationship with Christ. Each day consider how each of the fruit's of the Spirit has blossomed in the latest season of our life; or how its absence has been demonstrated instead. It is His Spirit that brings these to greatest fruition and not our own efforts.

December 26: Faith
December 27: Hope
December 28: Love
December 29: Joy
December 30: Peace
December 31: Patience
January 1: Kindness
January 2: Goodness
January 3: Faithfulness
January 4: Gentleness
January 5: Self-Control
January 6: Receiving His gifts

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