The 12 Days of Christmas ...

You all know the song "A Partridge in a Pear Tree?" Do you know how it came about? In brief the song was sung as a secret, symbolic way to share the story of the Christ child. Some say he is the Partridge in the Pear Tree, The Two Turtle Doves are Mary and Joseph, the three French Hens are the three kings and so on. Is this true?? Is this factual?? I don't know but I love the symbolism of it all.

In the Christian culture the 12 Days of Christmas begins on Christmas Day with the birth of Christ and ends 12 days later on the feast of the Epiphany. This is also the root name of my daughter "Tiffany." In history this is the time we were to celebrate gift giving and decorating for the festivities of his birth. 

As we celebrate the second day of Christmas lets not be so eager to remove our decorations, hold on to our trees a few more days and rejoice in the birth of our savior.

Twelve Days of Christmas

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12 Days of Christmas
The Adoration of the Magi. Fresco in Lower Church, Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
Observed by	Christians
Type	Christian
Observances	varies by church, culture, country
Date	25 December–5/6 January
Related to	Christmas Day, Twelfth Night, Epiphany

The Twelve Days of Christmas is the festive Christian season, beginning on Christmas Day (December 25), that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This period is also known as Christmastide. This is different from the Octave of Christmas, which is the liturgical time from Christmas Day until the Solemnity of Mary on January 1. The Twelfth Day of Christmas falls on January 5, but the Twelfth Night can either precede or follow the Twelfth Day depending on which tradition is followed.^[1] The Twelfth Day of Christmas (5 January) is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. In some traditions, the feast of Epiphany and Twelfth Night overlap.^[2] The Twelve Days of Christmas are immediately followed by the Feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the visit of the Wise Men (Magi) and their bringing of gifts to the child Jesus.
Many different saint feast days fall within the twelve days of Christmas, but they are not part of the Twelve Days themselves. The Twelve Days is a distinct period focused on commemorating the Nativity of Christ. Different traditions follow slightly different days and traditions. St. Stephen's Day, for example, is December 26 in the Western Church and December 27 in the Eastern Church. December 28 is Childermas/Feast of the Holy Innocents. In Britain and the former colonies, December 26 is also known as Boxing Day, a secular holiday. Currently, the twelve days and nights are celebrated in varying ways around the world. Some give gifts only on Christmas Day, some only on Twelfth Night, and some each of the twelve nights. In many Latin American countries, the Feast of the Epiphany is accorded a great celebration.

On the second day of Christmas my true love (the lord) gave to me ... 2 loving parents to guide and cherish me ...