The 12 Days of Christmas

SCRIPTURE: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to
salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16,17
I have always loved Christmas, the songs, the decorations, the movies. One of the songs I have always loved is the 12 Days of Christmas. One year, during a door decorating contest a participant decided to decorate her door with the meaning of the 12 Days of Christmas. Her decoration was based on the theory that lyrics to the songs were coded Christian references during a time when Christians were being persecuted and could not open talk about Christ or the gospel. Now, I didn’t know if that was true or not, but I loved the idea of Christians sharing about Christ and God’s word despite persecution. As a result, I still consider the coded references as true and love the song more. The door showcased each gift and their referenced meaning in 3-D form. The door garnered a lot of attention from believers and non-believers and was the topic of conversation the entire Christmas season, including the 12 days of Christmas (12/25 – 1/5). That year I sang the song even more. The original song was published in 1780 but the song we are familiar with was composed in 1909 by Frederc Austin, a British composer. The information about the song was viewed on www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas.

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a Partridge in a pear tree.
The Partridge represents Jesus.

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me 2 Turtle Doves…
The Doves represent the Old and New Testaments.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me 3 French Hens…
The Hens represent the Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity.

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 4 Calling birds…
The Calling birds represent the Four Gospels.

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 5 GOLDEN RINGS…
The 5 rings represent the First Five Books of the Old Testament.

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 6 Geese A-laying…
The geese represent the six days of creation.

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 7 Swans A-swimming…
The 7 swans represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 8 Maids A-milking…
The 8 maids represent the 8 beatitudes.

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 9 Ladies Dancing…
The 9 ladies represent the nine Fruits of the Spirit.

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 10 Lords A-leaping…
The 10 lords represent the 10 Commandments.

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 11 Pipers Piping…
The 11 pipers represent the 11 faithful disciples.

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 12 Drummers Drumming…
The 12 Drummers represent the 12 points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, how much I take for granted being able to openly praise You and to openly worship You. I can’t imagine having to hide my love for You even though there was a time that I did. Lord, forgive me for the times I was more concerned about what others thought than what You thought. Thank You, Lord for grace and mercy and the ability to openly represent You. In Jesus name, Amen.
Sis. Pat Towns

3 Comments


Novella D Carpenter - December 18th, 2024 at 1:56pm

I find this explanation of the 12 Days of Christmas very interesting. My first time hearing the meaning spelled out. Amen Pat. Thanks for enlightening me to this history as it relates to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Deborah Whye - December 19th, 2024 at 5:55am

Amen sister Pat! Thank you for sharing this! I never knew the meaning of this song. All pointing to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Wendy - December 19th, 2024 at 6:18pm

Amen Sister Pat ! The words are truly beautiful and moving Christmas songs.A reminder for us of protection which Jesus our Savior gives to us!!

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