Real 12 Days

Interesting note: The claim appears to date only to the 1990s, marking it as likely an invention of modern day speculation rather than historical fact.

The other symbols mean the following:
The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch”, which gives the history of man’s fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed

Source: Visit Snopes and bible.orgfor more info

The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the evening of the 5th January - also known as Twelfth Night.

• Day 1 ( December 25th ): Christmas Day - celebrating the Birth of Jesus
• Day 2 ( December 26th also known as Boxing Day): St Stephen’s Day. He was the first Christian martyr (someone who dies for their faith). It's also the day when the Christmas Carol 'Good King Wenceslas' takes place.
• Day 3 ( December 27th ): St John the Apostle (One of Jesus's Disciples and friends)
• Day 4 ( December 28th ): The Feast of the Holy Innocents - when people remember the baby boys which King Herod killed when he was trying to find and kill the Baby Jesus
• Day 5 ( Decembe 29th ): St Thomas Becket. He was Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century and was murdered on 29th December 1170 for challenging the King’s authority over Church.
• Day 6 ( December 30th ): St Egwin of Worcester.
• Day 7 ( December 31st ): New Years Eve (known as Hogmanay in Scotland). Pope Sylvester I is traditionally celebrated on this day. He was one of the earliest popes (in the 4th Century). In many central and eastern European countries (including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Slovenia) New Years Eve is still sometimes called 'Silvester'. In the UK, New Years Eve was a traditional day for ‘games’ and sporting competitions. Archery was a very popular sport and during the middle ages it was the law that it had to be practised by all men between ages 17-60 on Sunday after Church! This was so the King had lots of very good archers ready in case he need to go to war!
• Day 8 ( January 1st ): 1st January - Mary, the Mother of Jesus
• Day 9 ( January 2nd ): St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, two important 4th century Christians.
• Day 10 ( January 3rd ): Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. This remembers when Jesus was officially 'named' in the Jewish Temple. It's celebrated by different churches on a wide number of different dates!
• Day 11 ( January 4th ): St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the past it also celebrated the feast of Saint Simon Stylites (who lives on a small platform on the top of a pillar for 37 years!).
• Day 12 ( January 5th also known as Epiphany Eve): St. John Neumann who was the first Bishop in American. He lived in the 19th century.

Source: whychristmas

Here's the true cost of the 12 Days of Christmas

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Story-Christmas In The Coop

Christmas in the Coop by Stan Young

This story was written by  Stan in the early 1970's. The family has made it a tradition, since his death in 1980, to read and act it out on Christmas Eve. It's a great story which involves the animals that we had at the time and includes our family at the end.

Script adaptation by Ken Young   --      Illustrations by Teresa Millet

To read the story Click on the picture below

Opens in New External Link

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Survival Kits

Here’s a gift that’s easy to put together and is bound to be appreciated. I know I’d love to receive it!

““Hectic Holidays” Christmas Survival Kit

• Pocket date book - to track all of your “must do’s”.
• Bath Salts - to soothe your weary body once you’ve done all your “must-do’s”.
• Chamomile Tea - to calm, relax, and soothe away the tension.
• Peppermints - to settle your tummy from overindulging.
• Panadol - to take away the headache of overindulging in festive beverages.
• Cookie mix in a jar - to spoil yourself and your family!
• Slimfast - to kick-start the diet that you’re going to need.
• Relaxing CD - soothing quiet music to listen to while wrapping gifts.
• Sticky Tape - because it always seems to run out in the middle of wrapping.
• Homemade Gift Tags - to make your wrapping even prettier.
• Penny - so that Christmas doesn’t leave you penniless.
• Marble - in case you lose all of yours!

“Happy Holidays” Christmas Survival Kit

• Bauble - to make your Christmas sparkle!
• Party Popper - to start the season with a BANG!
• Starburst Candy - for a burst of energy during the Christmas season.
• Funny Christmas Poems printed out - to make you laugh, for ’tis the season to be jolly!
• Christmas Cracker - hope you have a cracking Christmas!
• Cookie Dough - because everyone’s short on dough this time of year!

Christmas Survival Kit for Teenagers

• Mint Gum & Chapstick - for the mistletoe action you will hopefully be getting ;-)
• Trashy Gossip Magazine - when all the family is together and they seem completely crazy, reading about other people’s disfunctional personal lives may make you feel better.
• Fizzy Bath Bombs - to relax at the end of the day.
• Chamomile Tea - to help calm your nerves.
• Personalised Music CD - put your headphones on and tune out the screams of your family.
• Paperback novel - to entertain yourself when your family and friends have gone off the deep end.
• Ibuprofen - to recover from the drama that friends and family create during the holidays.

College Student’s Christmas Survival Kit

I love this one. It’s for those times when you just don’t have the energy to party hard, but you’ve got to save face with your room-mate.

• Candy Cane
• Noise maker... you know, the spiral paper ones that stretch out when you blow into them
• Confetti
• Bottle caps

Instructions: Drop the candy cane on the floor and tread it into the carpet. Blow the noise maker and toss it in a corner somewhere. Sprinkle bits of confetti all over the place. Put some bottle-caps in and around the bin. Now when your room-mate gets back from his/her party, they’ll think you had a party too, and won’t know that you had a quiet night in.

(adapted from something I saw on Yahoo Answers)

The “Corny Puns” Christmas Survival Kit

• Stick of gum - to help you stick with it.
• Candle - reminding you to shine your brightest.
• Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss - to remind you that you are loved.
• Match - to reignite your fire when you’re feeling burned out.
• Tootsie Roll - to remind you not to bite off more than you can chew. [Hey, I like biting off more that I can chew, especially when it comes to chocolates.]
• Sewing Pin - to remind you to stay sharp.
• Smarties - to boost your brainpower when you’re feeling dull.
• Starburst candies - to boost your energy when you’re feeling tired.
• Snickers bar - to remind you to take time to laugh.
• Bandaid - to fix things that just will not work.
• Paperclip - to help you keep it all together.
• Crackers or other nibbles - so you will always have “food” for thought.
• Energizer Battery - so you can keep going and going.
• Tea Bag - so you can sit back and relax.
• Almond Joy Candy Bar - to remind you of the JOY of the season.

Candy Bar Sayings Christmas Surival Kit

Uh oh. Here’s some more puns... brace yourself! This kit is a collection of candy bars with the following note. A lot of these candy bars are only available in the USA, so if you live elsewhere you’ll need to improvise.

The RIESEN for this greeting is to wish you a CAREFREE Christmas season! Don’t go NUTS while you are battling the MOUNDS of people doing your their last minute shopping. In fact, make sure you take a SWEET ESCAPE from shopping to enjoy the SYMPHONY of carol-singers’ voices. It’s okay to treat yourself during the holidays, so don’t worry about getting CHUNKY from all those sweets and cakes. There will be GOOD and PLENTY time to worry about that in January.Even though the path to Christmas may be a ROCKY ROAD, just think of all the ALMOND JOY you will receive when your friends and family see how well they SKORed with all those gifts. But don’t be a BUTTERFINGER unwrapping yours. At the end of the day, ask that BIG HUNK of yours to be a LIFESAVER and make you a cup of TEA. Sit back, relax and may your PEANUT BUTTER CUP overflow with SPECIAL TREASURES of holiday memories.

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Old Fashioned Christmas Cookies

Old Fashioned Christmas Cookies

yield: 3-4 DOZEN

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup Butter, Softened
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp Milk
• 2 Tsp Vanilla
• 4 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• Icing/Sprinkles/Cookie Cutters

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin by creaming the butter, adding in the sugars, eggs, milk, and vanilla.
2. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing well.
3. Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
4. Preheat the Oven to 350*.
5. Drop tablespoon size rolled balls of dough on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart or roll out on a floured surface and use cookie cutters to cut shapes.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes then remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling.
7. Once cookies are completely cooled, decorate.

https://www.mommyhatescooking.com/holiday-treats-old-fashioned-christmas-cookies-free-printable

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The Christmas Candle 2013 HD Resolution

"A small English village is stuck waiting for a Christmas miracle... Only to discover the true miracle in helping one another.

In 1890, the quaint village of Gladybury, England, anticipates the long awaited visit from an angel who gifts a miracle once every 25 years on Christmas Eve through a chosen candle. Legend says that whoever lights that candle will be the recipient of a miracle. David Richmond, a young minister from London, presents a new kind of miracle, electricity, at the opposition of the village candlemaker. The candlemaker must find a way to keep the tradition of the Christmas candle sacred. Upon finding the candle missing, Gladbury experiences a Christmas like no other.

Hans Matheson, Samantha Barks, Lesley Manville

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Advent-ure Christmas Box

Teach your children the stories behind holiday traditions and, most importantly, how Jesus is the Greatest Gift of all!

New Tradition

Time To Think About Starting A NEW Holiday Tradition!

25 Days of Christmas

Wrap up twenty-five Christmas children's books and put them under the tree with a special Christmas quilt or blanket next to them. Before bed each evening, your kids choose one book to open and read together until Christmas.
** See a convenient list of book suggestions here and/or here.

Polar Express

 Make "Polar Express" tickets for everyone in the family. Start your bedtime routine as usual, Make some bags of popcorn and hot chocolate drinks and place them in the car, don’t forget to have Christmas Music playing too! When the kids climb into bed, they will find the ticket hidden. The kids are instructed to grab their slippers and head for the car. Upon entrance to The Polar Express, hole punch the ticket, and travel around looking at all the beautiful lights. 

Christmas Eve Surprise Box

Typically given to young children as a way to break up the anticipation of the next day with some small gifts and activities filled with sweets, new holiday pajamas, films, books and games.

* Or even an Adult Christmas Eve Box For just the two of you after all the wrapping is done :)

Special Thanks To: jseely_1031 For The Suggestions.

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