12 Days of Christmas Ornaments

The popular song “The Twelve Days of Christmas Ornaments” is sometimes thought of as a nonsense song for children. There are others that suggest it may be a song of Christian instruction dating back to the wars during the 16th century. Apparently it contains mnemonic references to teach youngsters about the catechism.

The actual twelve days of Christmas is one of the most misunderstood of Christian beliefs and it is not the twelve before Christmas but the twelve days after Christmas starting on December 26th.  They continue on for 12 days until the epiphany on January 6th. This represents the length of time it took for the Three Wise Men to reach the manger and see the Baby Jesus after his birth.  Some cultures even give gifts every day during this period. I don’t know about you but I have trouble figuring out what to give everyone for just one day.

Here’s what I could find on what the various verses mean in the song with a pikkie of  an ornament portraying the verse in the song.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree – 1st Day Of Christmas

In nature, a Partridge fakes injury to lure predators away from her precious offspring.  Symbolically in the song the partridge represents Jesus Christ whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas.

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Two Turtle Doves – 2nd Day Of Christmas

Two Turtle Doves apparently represent the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

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Three French Hens – 3rd Day Of Christmas

Three French Hens represent the three theological values. Faith, Hope and Love.

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Four Calling Birds- 4th Day Of Christmas

These represent the four evangelists who wrote the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John proclaiming the salvation and re-uniting of God with his people through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

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Five Gold Rings- 5th Day Of Christmas

Five Gold Rings recall the first five books of the Old Testament Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy or the Hebrew Torah.

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Six Geese – Laying- 6th Day Of Christmas

This is quite probably the easiest one to figure out.  Six geese laying eggs represents the 6 days of creation where God created the Heavens and the Earth.

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Seven Swans A-Swimming- 7th Day of Christmas

The seven swans represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

1. prophecy
2. ministry
3. teaching
4. exhortation
5. giving
6. leading
7. compassion

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Eight Maids A-Milking – 8th Day of Christmas

The Eight Beattitudes

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are they who mourn,for they shall be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek,for they shall inherit the earth.
4. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,for they shall be satisfied.
5. Blessed are the merciful,for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure of heart,for they shall see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers,for they shall be called children of God.
8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Nine Ladies Dancing – 9th Day of Christmas

Nine ladies dancing represents the nine fruit of the Holy Spirit.

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Longsuffering
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-control

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Ten Lords A-Leaping – 10th Day of Christmas

This is a no brainer. The Ten Commandments of course. You should know these. 

1. I am the LORD thy God, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

Be good.

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Eleven Pipers Piping – 11th Day of Christmas

The Eleven pipers are all about the 11 faithful apostles. Judas was originally one of these but he betrayed Christ which ultimately lead to his death so he doesn’t get counted. The others are:

1. Bartholomew
2. James Minor
3. Andrew
4. Peter (also called Simon Peter)
5. John / Mary
6. Jesus
7. Thomas
8. James Major
9. Philip
10. Matthew
11. Thaddeus
12. Simon the Canaanite (also Simon the Zealot)

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Twelve Drummers Drumming -12th Day of Christmas

Twelve Drummers Drumming symbolizes the 12 points of doctrine in  the Apostle’s Creed.

In a nutshell here they are.

1.  I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth.
2.  and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord
3.  who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,
4.  suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried:  He descended into Hell:
5.  the third day He rose again from the dead.
6.  He ascended into Heaven,
7.  and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
8.  From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
9.  I believe in the Holy Spirit,
10. one holy Christian Church, the fellowship of saints,
11. the forgiveness of sins,
12. the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

I think the 12 days of Christmas could make a really pleasant theme throughout your house during the Christmas season especially around the tree. There’s lots of ornaments to choose in a wide range of styles so you should have no problem filling your house with Christmas cheer with ornaments based around this theme.

All of the ornaments pictured above can be purchased through Amazon. (sponsored link). Happy Decorating.