Rudolph Day - 12 Days of Christmas

Maybe we will celebrate Rudolph Day each month this year after all! (Don't hold your breath.) But I didn't have the time to post about this in December, and now I do. We were surprised to find a beautiful box on our porch on December 13th with the following attached:

The 12 Days of Christmas is the song that we sing
And in this box 12 presents we bring.
December the 13th is when you may start;
Unwrap one a day with love from the heart.
Merry Christmas!


And this is what was inside:

Each gift was labeled with a number, and inside was a treat with one of the poems below. (I'm sure you can figure out which was #1, etc.!) Day #6 was the most clever - melted circles of white chocolate with a yellow M&M in the center to make candy eggs. We had the most fun with Day #11, and of course Day #2 was my absolute favorite.
Fifteen years ago we were also the receipients of a 12 Days of Christmas surprise, one that came daily. In the years that followed we tried doing it ourselves many times, and it was always a lot of fun. Knowing that we weren't going to be around all 12 days leading up to Christmas, we had to drop that from the to-do list this year. Now that we know it's possible to deliver in one try (although admittedly not quite as fun), maybe it can go back on the list for this year!
Now in the song, it's partridge and pear -
But when I looked, my trees were all bare.
So I ran to the store at a hurried pace;
Pears they had plenty, but no birds in the place!

Did you know two turtle doves are extremely hard to find?
So here are Turtles 'n Doves - the chocolate candy kind!

Hens are chickens, not sure if they are French or not!
But here is chicken soup to heat in the pot.

When calling birds cackle their mouths get all dry
And they lips start to crackle, so give this [chapstick] a try!

Only five golden rings? There really are more
Of gold pineapple rings I got from the store.

*Sigh* We're back to those birds!
I tried stealing their eggs, but their cries could be heard.
So I gave up again and went to the store.
These eggs won't hatch, but don't drop them on the floor.

The swans were still swimming in water so clear,
It sparkled and shimmered, I shed not a tear.
Instead I felt thirsty, a drink would be nice.
I sent sparkling water, now you add the ice!

The maids were all milking, milk foaming like suds.
And then they all vanished, just leaving "Milk Duds."

The ladies danced all night long,
but when they looked down something was wrong.
From dancing all night they had aching feet.
So here are some bath salts to give your toes a treat.

Ten lords a-leaping; who could reach the stars first
To send back to us these delicious "Starburst?"

Eleven pipers piping, what a wonderful sight.
Because they blew bubbles and watched them take flight.
Here are some bubbles so you can play too.

Oh, how the drummers hurt my head;
They gave me such a headache I had to go to bed.
Music should be soothing, a listening pleasure;
So here is a CD for you to treasure.

You can find examples of others who used this activity here and here and even here (each one is just a bit different).

Comments

Melanie said…
I'll have to remember this for this coming December. But, I'm still hoping to enjoy a long spring and summer first. I'm done with all this white stuff.
Delirious said…
One time we did this for Ted and Carma Jones. I was her visiting teacher, so when I came to visit, they would tell me all about the anonymous person who was doing the 12 days of Christmas. :) Ted told me he was going to catch the person! That alerted me that he was watching, so I recruited my kids to help. :D