The Twelve Days of Christmas Don't Begin Today

This is what is becoming my annual post to remind readers that the 12 Days of Christmas are not the 12 days leading up to Christmas (December 14th to 25th), but instead are the 12 days after Christmas, either December 25th to January 5th or December 26th to January 6th, depending on what tradition one adheres to. Either way, the 12 days culminate with Epiphany (January 6th), which commemorates when the wise men present gifts to the young Jesus, who may have been as old as two years old at the time (the Bible's unclear how long it takes them to find him). Some households, such as ours, celebrate the 12 days by giving gifts on each of the 12 days, but this is more the exception than the rule.

Of course, when most people think of "The 12 Days of Christmas,"they think of the song. The song's origins are unclear, but one story, which unfortunately has little historical support but is fun to consider, claims that the song originated as a Roman Catholic "Catechism Song" in England during a time when Catholicism was "discouraged" (1558-1829). According to this tradition,

• The "true love" in the song refers to God, while the "me" refers to those who receive the gifts mentioned in the song from God
• The "partridge in a pear tree" refers to Jesus Christ whose death on a tree (i.e., the cross) was a gift from God
• The "two turtle doves" refer to the Old and New Testaments - another gift from God
• The "three French hens" refer to "faith," "hope" and "love" three gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13)
• The "four calling birds" refer to the four Gospels, which sing "the song of salvation through Jesus Christ" 
• The "five golden rings" refer to the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Torah. 
• The "six geese a-laying" refer to the six days of creation
• The "seven swans a swimming" refer to the "seven gifts of the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:8-11) 
• The "eight maids a milking" refer to the eight beatitudes
• The "nine ladies dancing" refer to the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) 
• The "ten lords a-leaping" refer to the Ten Commandments
• The "eleven pipers piping" refer to the eleven faithful disciples
• The "twelve drummers drumming" refer to the twelve points of the Apostles' Creed

For a more scholarly (but almost certainly less entertaining) take on the song's origins see its Wikipedia article.