What are the 12 days of Christmas? Some people think it’s the time during the Christmas period from the birth of Jesus to the coming of the Magi (the Three Wise Men). Others believe the partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge, a bird that will die to protect its young. A popular song called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” starts off with: On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me –

• First Day: a partridge in a pear tree
• Second Day: two turtle doves
• Third Day: three French hens
• Fourth Day: four calling birds
• Fifth Day: five gold rings
• Sixth Day: six geese a-laying
• Seventh Day: seven swans a-swimming
• Eighth Day: eight maids a-milking
• Ninth Day: nine ladies dancing
• Tenth Day: ten lords a-leaping
• Eleventh Day: 11 pipers piping
• Twelfth Day: 12 drummers drumming

Homeschoolers: sketch/color an illustration. Theme: 12 Days of Christmas. Put these words in alphabetical order: partridge, doves, hens, birds, rings, geese, swans, maids, ladies, lords, pipers, drummers. Finish this sentence: One of my favorite things to do during Christmas is…Read the story called “The Tailor of Gloucester” in Learning to Read: Favorite Fairy Tales. Summarize what the tailor did during Christmas. Create three math problems with the numbers 1 through 12 and solve. Listen to this 12 Days of Christmas song and sing along. (Skills: identify, comprehend, apply, creative, oral, math)