Happy Twelfth Day of Christmas!

The twelve days are between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6). Sometimes December 25 is counted as the first day, and sometimes it's December 26. I prefer the latter because it means this post isn't late. :)

I think it would be nice to have a penitential Advent and a quiet reflective Christmas, and throw the wild gift-giving extravaganza on Epiphany-- that's when wise men give gifts, after all... :) As it is, it seems like Christmas ended a long time ago already, although the Liturgy of the Hours is still celebrating it, with an Epiphany angle, so it's nice to go to church and pray it with others.

Ya'll know this song?

The Twelve Days After Christmas
(Frederick Silver)

The first day after Christmas, my true love and I had a fight.
And so I chopped the pear tree down and burned it just for spite.
Then, with a single cartridge, I shot that blasted partridge,
That my true love, my true love gave to me.

The second day after Christmas, I pulled on the old rubber gloves
And very gently wrung the necks of both the turtle doves,
My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me.

The third day after Christmas, my mother caught the croup;
I had to use the three French hens to make some chicken soup.
The four calling birds were a big mistake,
For their language was obscene.
The five gold rings were completely fake
And they turned my fingers green.

The sixth day after Christmas, the six laying geese wouldn't lay:
I gave the whole darn gaggle to the ASPCA.

On the seventh day what a mess I found:
All seven of the swimming swans had drowned,
My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me.

The eighth day after Christmas, before they could suspect,
I bundled up the...

Eight maids a-milking,
Nine pipers piping,
Ten ladies dancing,
'Leven lords a-leaping,
Twelve drummers drumming...

(one girl speaks) Well, actually I kept one of the drummer boys!

...and sent them back collect.
I wrote my true love, "We are through, love"
And I said in so many words,
"Furthermore your Christmas gifts were for the birds!"

If you want something serious for Epiphany, I posted T.S. Eliot's poem two years ago.

Random fact: the reliquary of the three Magi is in the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany. In fact, it was the presence of their relics that demanded the building of the biggest Gothic church in the world. It took centuries to finish. A German co-worker from Cologne told me all that, and I trust him enough not to fact-check. :)