12 Days of Christmas

A number of years ago, someone played the 12 days of Christmas on my Mom and Dad-in-law. I had never heard of it before, and it was the most fun thing to hear what happened each night for them. For those of you who may live in the dark (like me), it is a game where, for 12 days, a note and a small gift is dropped at someone's door. Once the gift is dropped, the 'gifters' (ha! I can make up words!) run away to hide their identity until the last night. I tried to remember most of the gifts and rhymes, so I will post what I came up with last year. We did it to 2 families last year, one of them, we told the parents and did it for their kids and it was so much fun hearing them scream as we knocked on the door and ran. This year we are planning on doing it to our next door neighbors and a random house down the road that we know has kids. My challenge to you is to do it for someone. Either a random person to share the love of Christ at Christmas, or to someone you know could use it. So, here's my rhymes if you want to copy... Will you join us this year and make someone's Christmas a little more special? (dooooooooo it!)

Now, mine were mostly candy and treats for kids, but you can always have gifts too...

Night One:

Tonight's the first night, and this is where it all starts.
Know that each of these gifts comes straight from our hearts.
Now each night going forward, we'll bring gifts to your door,
The twelve days of Christmas, not one less or one more.

Beware of this warning- your friends will be here,
But you better not look , or we will all disappear.
Then all of your gifts that we've carefully planned,
On some other front porch they will surprisingly land.

Now in the song, it's a partridge and pear
but when I looked, my trees were all bare!
So I ran to the store at a hurried pace.
Pears, the had plenty, but no birds in the place!

GIFT: canned pears


Night Two:

Tonight calls for 2 turtle doves,
but they are extremely hard to find!
So here are turtles and doves -
The chocolate candy kind!

GIFT: uh, turtles...


Night Three:

Hens are chickens
If they are French, or not!
Here is chicken soup
to heat in the pot!

GIFT: ok, some are straight forward...


Night Four:

The calling birds have all flown away.
They're visiting South to see the view.
Instead of a call, they left these few things,
a package of mini eggs - their gift to you!

GIFT: ok, reeeeally straight forward...


Night Five:

Only 5 golden rings?
How about one more?
of golden doughnuts
I bought from the store!

GIFT: you, got that, right?


Night Six:

Six geese a-laying some eggs quite unique.
I looked at them close and what do you think?
They are made of some chocolate candy!
Here are six for you, isn't that dandy?

GIFT: kinder eggs


Night Seven:

The seven swans were swimming and having such fun,
that when I called them, they wouldn't come out, not one!
I called until my face, it turned blue,
So instead made these "swan" eggs for you!

GIFT: I melted white chocolate and put a yellow m&ms in them to look like fried eggs.


Night Eight:

Eight maids were milking
Their beautiful cows
when they suddenly realized,
the milk was all brown!

GIFT: er, chocolate milk....


Night Nine:

Nine ladies dancing was a beautiful sight,
I applauded so loud, it gave them a fright!
They ran away in a hurry, but left behinds these treats!
I hope you enjoy it even though it was underneath their feet.

GIFT: I don't remember, I guess I made one easy night for myself...


Night Ten:

Ten Lords a-leaping.
Who could reach the stars first?
To send back to us
These delicious starburst!

GIFT: uh, starburst...


Night Eleven:

Eleven pipers piping came to my door,
As I jumped up to answer it,
the pan fell to the floor.
I stood among the cookie crumbs
and wondered what to do.
The day was late, the time was short,
I had no gift for you.
I bent and swept the cookies up
into a small dustpan.
A friend like you, I told myself,
would surely understand.

GIFT: cookies wrapped up on a dustpan.


Night Twelve:

Twelve drummers drumming
I think would be too loud!
So I thought about some drumsticks
but ones not for making sound...

GIFT: ice cream drumsticks.


Just a warning... be careful when you run away. Some people are prone to break arms... ;)