It’s possible that “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is just a silly song about someone’s true love giving them a ton of birds for Christmas. But it might be a lot more than that! Some people say that this song was used to help kids learn about some of the important gifts that God gave us. And, even if it wasn’t meant to be that originally (some people say it wasn’t), it can be that now!
Here are the twelve gifts repeated in the Twelve Days of Christmas and what they can remind us of:
- “Twelve drummers drumming” – The twelve points of the Apostle’s Creed or the twelve tribes of Israel
- “Eleven pipers piping” – The eleven faithful disciples of Jesus
- “Ten lords a-leaping” – The Ten Commandments
- “Nine ladies dancing” – The nine fruit of the Spirit
- “Eight maids a-milking” – The eight beatitudes
- “Seven swans a-swimming” – Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
- “Six geese a-laying” – The six days of creation
- “Five golden rings” – The first five books of the old testament.
- “Four calling birds” – The four gospels
- “Three French hens” – Faith, hope, and love
- “Two turtledoves” – The Old and New Testaments
- “And a partridge in a pear tree” – Jesus Christ
Bible Verses About “The Twelve Days of Christmas”:
- Galatians 5:22-23 | The nine fruits of the Spirit.
- Matthew 5:3-10 | Jesus blesses eight groups in the beatitudes.
- Romans 12:6-8 | There are seven gifts mentioned in Romans.
- 1 Corinthians 13:13 | These three things, faith, hope, and love are SO important.
- John 3:16 | Jesus is the best gift ever.
Family Time Questions About “The Twelve Days of Christmas”:
• What are a few of your favorite gifts from this song and why?
• What’s the most important gift? (Hint: It’s not a “what” but a “who”!)
• Can this song help us to remember some of the many gifts God has given us?
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for the Gift of your Son, Jesus. Help me to share the Good News of Jesus’ birth this Christmas. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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