The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day One

On the First Day of Christmas....

 

 

Do you ever sing this song?  My mother-in-law was an Avon lady and each year my stocking was FULL of different Avon Christmas items.  One of my favorites is this set of tin ornaments that depict the Twelve Days of Christmas.  I've always celebrated these Twelve Days of Christmas.  My mother would not even think about taking the Christmas tree down before Twelfth Night.  Our neighbors may have thought we were a bit wacky but being the house with the five wild children that was nothing new! 

We have always continued our Christmas celebration into the New Year.  Twelfth Night occurs on January 6th and that is the traditional date when we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men. In our home, this means that the tree stays up a little longer.  The Wise Men do not get put in the Nativity until January 6th, and we try to keep in mind that the season is not really finished.  Because of the changes in our Christmas celebration this year due to illness, we will be exchanging gifts on Twelfth Night (What can I say; Mom did not have the energy to shop or finish her hand-made stuff!).  I'm going to do something else this year that I have never done before and I don't know if my guys will go along with this or not; it may be better suited to a home with multiple small children.  This year, I'm going to move the Wise Men around the house, hiding them each day until time for them to arrive.  If my men are interested, I'll invite them to take turns hiding them (Marvelous Mark should love that!).  A bit silly, but might be fun.

My other goal for the next twelve days is to continue writing and sharing with you here and to think together about the different gifts we have been given from our Heavenly Father.  So leave a comment if you would like, and share with us what gift you are thankful for each day.  Doesn't have to be anything earth-shaking; it can be a simple or even a silly gift.  But I will start with a serious one:

On the First Day of Christmas, my Father gave to me,

His Only Son who came to set me free.