The First Day of Christmas

Found this on View From The Pews a couple of weeks ago. For the person on your list who has everything. Who needs 10 lords-a-leaping for Christmas...or two turtle doves. Here’s an updated list.

1. On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a zipper:

It is usually wiser to keep your lip zipped than to compound a problem. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19)

By Tom Neven

And this and following come from Something Sublime, the most visually appealing blog I've found so far.

The twelve days of Christmas actually begin, not 12 days before Christmas (which is Advent), but on Christmas day. The twelve days run from December 25th to January 5th which is twelfth night; the last night of the Christmas season. January 6th is the beginning of Epiphany, the time before Easter. Advent is the time looking forward to the birth of Christ while Epiphany is the revelation of Christ to the world. The word "epiphany" means "to show, make known or reveal."

The 12 Days of Christmas song was originally a mnemonic device to used to teach catechism to children at a time of religious suppression in England during the 16th century. It was written as a love song, not referencing an earthly relationship but a heavenly one. The "true love", gift giver is God himself.

The "me"...receiver of gifts...refers to all believer's in Christ. Each gift given in the song is representative of an important aspect of the Christian faith.

The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus Christ...God's greatest gift to the world. The mother partridge is a bird that, when her helpless young are threatened, pretends injury to draw predators away. The obvious parallel here is Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, protecting believers from death and providing eternal life.