Argo issue number: EAF 110UK
Original release: all tracks taken from 1965 4-album anthology of songs and poems for primary schools, Rhyme and Rhythm.

Singers
Pat Shuldham-Shaw – baritone
Esme Lewis – soprano
Choir of Hampstead Garden Suburb Junior School

Tracks

Side One
A Sunny Bank – PSS
Huron Carol – PSS
I saw Three Ships – choir

Side Two
All in the Morning – EL
Twelve Days of Christmas – PSS
Cradle Hymn – EL

Tonight we will light our advent candles for the last time. It is the 12th day of Christmas today! (12 drummers drumming, anyone?) The day where tradition holds that the Magi reached Bethlehem to worship the newborn King.

In keeping with the three kings’ travels, our advent wreath also did some traveling this season. My dh grumbled a bit about that in terms of trunk space, but I was glad we did. I wish I could say that we lit the candles every day, but even just a few times a week helped give me a sense of having a constant. And a few minutes of quiet during dinner to really bring our focus back to why we celebrate Christmas. Which was priceless in the middle of all the driving, packing, unpacking, shopping and general mania that came with the holidays.

This is the first year we have ever really observed advent. I remember as a kid the advent readings and candles at our church. Now as an adult, dh and I tend to gravitate towards very contemporary churches and they don’t really observe advent in that traditional way. I used a little book called Before and After Christmas by Debbie Trafton O’Neal, which has lots of neat crafts and things in it that will keep us busy for many Christmases to come. It does have something brief with scripture you can read each day, although next year I might look for a different devotional to use. I think this is definitely a tradition I would like to keep, if only for my own sanity.

For the first time in years, I may actually be a little sad that Christmas is over. But not to worry, Easter is right around the corner.

If you’ve ever wondered where the tradition of giving gifts at Christmas originated  . . .  those who follow the Christian tradition believe it came from the story of the Three Wise Men (magi) who brought gifts to the infant Christ child.

The story of the Three Kings is told only in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 2, verses 1-12. I have reprinted the Good News Bible version below.

Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east and we have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

“In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they answered. “For this is what the prophet wrote:

Then they returned to their country by another road, since god had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.

‘Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
you are  by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah;
for from you will come a leader
who will guide my people, Israel.’”

So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know so that I, too, may go and worship him.”

And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star that they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother, Mary, they knelt down and worshipped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him.

Celebrated on January 6th, Little Christmas (more commonly known as the Epiphany) is the traditional end of the Christmas season, falling as it does on the Twelfth Day of Christmas.

While it commemorates the visit and gifts of the Magi, the Christian feast day of the Epiphany celebrates the “shining forth” or revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus. The three kings – Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar – are believed to have represented Europe, Arabia, and Africa. They allegedly arrived on horse, camel, and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

EPIPHANY IN OTHER CULTURES

In some European cultures, the greenery put up at Christmas is taken down at Epiphany.

In Ireland, Little Christmas is also referred to as Women’s Christmas because of the tradition of Irish men taking on all the household duties for the day and giving their spouses a day off. Most women hold parties or go out to celebrate the day with their friends, sisters, mothers, aunts, etc. Bars and restaurants usually have a majority female clientele on this night. Children often buy presents for their mothers and grandmothers, and it closely resembles Mother’s Day in this respect.

The Dutch and Flemish call this day Three Kings’ Day (Drie koningen). In the Netherlands and Belgium, children proceed in costume from house to house in groups of three while singing songs commemorating the occasion, and receiving a coin or some sweets at each door.

Traditional King's Cake

In France, people eat a version of a king cake, which has a trinket (usually a porcelain figurine of a king) or a bean hidden inside. The tradition is that the person who finds the trinket in their cake becomes “King for a Day.”

In Portugal, the Epiphany is called day of the kings (dia los reis), during which the traditional king cake is baked and eaten.

Like the tradition of Christmas stockings elsewhere in the world, in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and Uruguay, children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings’ presents before they go to bed on the evening of January 5th. Sweet wine, fruit, milk, and snacks are left for the Kings and their camels.

In Mexico, it is traditional for children to leave their shoes, along with a letter with toy requests for the Three Kings, near the family nativity scene or next to their beds. In some parts of northern Mexico, the shoes and letters are left under the Christmas tree. Sometimes, the shoes are filled with hay for the camels, so that the Kings will be generous with their gifts.

In Louisiana, the Epiphany is the beginning of the Mardi Gras season, during which it is customary to bake king cakes. The one who finds the doll (or bean) must provide the next king cake. The interval between Epiphany and Mardi Gras is sometimes known as “king cake season.”

So the tree’s probably starting to wither and you may be packing away those ornaments and stockings. We’re already heading into January 4 … technically, the 10th Day of Christmas. You, of course, remember the old song:

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me…
12 drummers drumming
11 pipers piping
10 lords a-leaping
9 ladies dancing
8 maids a-milking
7 swans a-swimming
6 geese a-laying
5 golden rings
4 calling birds
3 French hens
2 turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

What you may not know is that a controversy is raging over the origin of the lyrics. One explanation that has been widely circulated via the Internet over the past few years purports that “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written in England as a catechism song to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith, albeit in code, because Catholicism was a forbidden practice in England from 1558 till 1829.

This theory has been widely debunked, even as believers continue to disseminate it as fact. Another theory posits that the song relates to the stocking and running of a country estate. As with many folk songs of distant origin, however, tracking down the original intent/meaning behind the lyrics may prove a futile task.

According to a media release from Northern Illinois University, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was named the 2008 “Carol of the Year.” They report in their findings:

Like many older carols, the origins of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” are vague. Some say it was written in France, but Studwell is firmly in the camp of those who trace its roots to England. It was most likely written, he believes, during the period of history known as the Restoration, a brief interlude from about 1660 to 1730, between the Puritan Revolution and the rise of Methodism. It was a period of lightheartedness (relative to the eras it separated, anyway) which would have allowed for the rise of such a frivolous song, Studwell says.

The acclaimed researcher puts little stock in the theory that the carol originated as a code developed by English Catholics to secretly teach their children catechism. The idea was first set forth by the Rev. Harold Stockert in 1969 and has been revived on the Internet in recent years.

OK, so regardless of the origin, we can all agree that the quantities of livestock and servant-types bestowed by my true love in this song start to add up, once you get to the sixth day and beyond. Wayyyyy more than could ever be delivered in a stocking (unless it was in the form of a pop-up book).

The question, then, becomes, “So, how many gifts IS that!?” Believe it or not, math geeks have figured our a formula to determine this number. The following excerpt explains just a bit of it:

Good question, I’m glad you asked! Let’s start by thinking about how many gifts are given on each day. On the first day, the narrator receives one gift: a partridge in a pear tree. On the second day, the narrator receives two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree: 2 + 1 = 3 gifts in total. On the third day, there are 3 + 2 + 1 = 6 gifts, on the fourth day, 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 10 gifts, and so on. In general, it’s not hard to see that on the nth day, the narrator receives a number of gifts equal to the sum of all the integers from 1 to n. So the number of gifts the narrator gets on each day are 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36, 45, 55, 66, 78.

These numbers are known as triangular numbers, due to the fact that they can be represented pictorially by dots arranged in triangles. Like this:

It shouldn’t be too hard to see that the number of dots in the nth triangle above corresponds to the sum of the integers from 1 through n (just count the number of dots in each row). Can you find a pattern and come up with a way to quickly figure out the nth triangular number, without having to add up all the numbers from 1 to n?

Any way you slice it, though, it’s a LOT of people and animals.

So there you have it … an attempt to explain the thoughts and intentions behind “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Enjoy the last few … and beware the steaming piles!

We’re back, online, and celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas! Today is the 5th day of Christmas, and the memorial of St. Thomas Becket, an Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century. As Thomas grew in faith he also became more distant from the secular world. In fact, he even alienated his king, Henry II. Eventually he was murdered in his own church, the Cathedral of Canterbury. If you visit this cathedral today, you may see the shadow of this martyred saint.

The fourth day of Christmas December 28 — the Feast of the Holy Family and third day of Kwanzaa.

I met  this young couple at a welcome station  in the mountains of Virginia in October 2007.  As I ponder this image I see Joseph and Mary and Jesus in them.  May their be a touch of holiness — of wholeness — in their lives and in our families.   I pray for them and all young families — indeed all families on this traditional day in the Christmas season when we reflect on the  hidden, ordinary life of Joseph, and Mary and Jesus in Nazareth.  They are a model of simplicity for us.

But for many of us our family life was (is) very dysfunctional.   I think of those families today, Lord.  Children (many friends of mine) who grew up with alcoholic parents  and were in favor one moment and cast aside the next, who who had little normalcy, little stability.

Just last night, Lord, you allowed me the grace to strengthen a young mother who needed  the courage to at least temporarily separate herself  and the children from fearful dysfunction. Be with her, Lord.  Be with all families that struggle, Lord. Be with us who are imperfect and weak and selfish and perhaps capable of little love because we may  not have received  it ourselves as a child.

We’re trying, Lord.   Strengthen our capacity to love, to be present to our children and our spouse.  Help us realize, Lord, that the most important role is not to have a successful career  but to love our children and our spouse.  To be a community of love in which to  call forth the gifts, the love. the moral courage and strength of of their children for the next generation.

And so, on this Feast of the Holy Family may we honor you, Jesus and Mary and Joseph. as I honor this young couple whose name I do not even know because I saw in them an image of God  in their simple, ordinary love.   Lord, keep us all in your loving care.

Bob Traupman

priest / writer

I think most of us are familiar with “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song. To most it’s just a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But “Twelve Days of Christmas” had a secret code in it, though it’s no longer a secret now. The song is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of strange gifts.

Let’s go back in time, shall we, dear readers? Catholic was banned in England during the period 1558 to 1829. Queen Elizabeth I of Protestant faith saw fit to have it ban as the Church impose a threat to the monarchical system, where the Bishop have more power over the country than Kings and Queens. So when the Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, they were prohibited from any practice of their faith by law – private or public. So, to make the long story short, it’s simply a crime to even be a Catholic in England at that time.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written in England as one of the “catechism songs” to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith. The song is some sort of a memory aid. It is important to note that when someone was caught with anything in writing indicating adherence to the Catholic faith, they could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, drawn, quartered and many other peculiar and ghastly punishment.

Hanging, drawing and quartering involved hanging a person by the neck until they had almost, but not quite, suffocated to death, then the victim was taken down from the gallows, and disembowelled while still alive and while the entrails were still lying on the street, where the executioners stomped all over them, the victim was tied to four large farm horses, and literally torn into five parts – one to each limb and the remaining torso.

All right, enough of the extremely gory details. Let’s go back to the song, Twelve Days of Christmas.

The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The ‘True love’ mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself.

The ‘me’ who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The ‘partridge in a pear tree’ is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so…”

The other symbols mean the following:

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the ‘Pentateuch’, which gives the history of man’s fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed

Below is a video of the song in question:

And this is the modern one inspired by Twelve Days of Christmas

Cleffairy: There’s so many secret and mysteries about Christmas, and it amuse me to see that kids these days are not intrigue by it.

Evening everyone – ready for an even more relaxing holiday season?  I hope so because here comes day three of Christmas:     

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me, three French hens

Today we visit Salt Lake City, Utah for a Day Spa extraordinaire – because even though it resides in the west – it’s menu is influenced strongly by French & European spa treatments.  

Relax pre or post treatment in the tea room

Breathe Day Spa doesn’t ignore it’s surroundings though.  From the western influenced Desert Stone Facial to the Dead Sea Wrap, the spa pays homage to european and western beauty.

During the holidays, this innovative spa which combines a European pharmacy like boutique with a cozy & warm western retreat, offers treatment specials & gifts on each of the twelve days of Christmas.  On the third day, they invite you to:

Get cozy in these unusual pedicure chairs

Schedule our Don’t Look Back Massage and take home your choice of the many fab scents from Mistral – a fragrance line that takes it’s name from the Mistral winds which sweep across the Alps to Provence.  Their products are meant to bring the aromas created by the Mistral winds to you.  Their luxury bath foam is particularly delish. 

FYI, the Don’t Look Back Massage is a 75 minute escape that combines a neck, back and shoulder massage with an ayuervedic facial. Aaaaah.

So bring two or more of your favorite hens and Breathe.  Tomorrow, four calling birds.  See you at the spa, Candy 

This is a better synchronized version of my earlier post. To be sung to the tune of The “Twelve Days of Christmas“, whose lyrics are modified to apply to Obama’s picks for his Cabinet and other key posts. The list is intended to be cumulative (that is, each person is picked only once). At the end I present those left out due to time constraints (Only twelve days!)

Leaping lord

I just couldn’t do it!!       Far too many details on this guy to do TEN!!    So how about: 

ONE very detailed Leaping lord?!! 

Only 1 lord-a-leaping

And …

Piper Piping

11 Irish Lamb Pipers Piping

11 Pipers Piping

Drummer Drumming

One Drummer Drumming with 12 spotlights shining on him!!?  

12 Spotlights Shinning!

Ten Lords A-leaping
The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God’s name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

Eleven Pipers Piping
The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James.  (Luke 6:14-16). 

FIVE GOLDEN RINGS…

i had bought Lilly so few gifts this year…

• yes, she is small and with it just being her and i, she really doesnt have a concept of Christmas (though she is quite fascinated by the colored paper, ribbons and the “kiss-ma-tee” and creche that we sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” to every night)

• but i was also attempting to fix the income to the expenditures this year (dr bills, taxes, heat, medicine and the endless disposable baby supplies consume 96% of what i make, which leaves lil for food, clothing and extras…and even less for savings)

• and then came the emotional dump truck funk that left me…idk…i still dont know. (though i worked at the homeless shelter early, i do not know where the rest of the day went…)

all said and done, Lilly marginally opened one present of three. i know this makes me a horrible parent (smiles, as i type this Lilly is climbing against me like a jungle gym… at least i appear to have some use for her.)

Baby Law of Gravity

Lilly stands now…cartoon physics style…you know…able to stand without holding on only when she is unaware that she is doing so.  (idk i seem to recall this amended principle also working for drunks in the bars…) the force of gravity is directly proportional to an objects awareness. once Lilly discovers that she is standing with both hands on her fish and none on a scaffold, she plops immediately to the floor Wiley Coyote Style.

she makes me smile. she is all that is left to make me here and human…and i in turn screwed up her first Christmas

but then i thought…what if…what if i make this look purposeful. afterall the infant in the manger didnt receive gifts right away. it took time for the wisemen to arrive.

Epiphany (little Christmas as the Irish call it) happens on January 6th…it marks the time when the wisemen arrived at the manger bearing gifts… and the days between Christmas and Epiphany were later recognized as the twelve days of Christmas…

it’s like how most people send cards and lil gifts after a baby is born and they seem to arrive for days afterwards (i remember from when my lil sister was born…we did not have that when Lilly was born b/c she was born too soon and most people felt worried and awkward about sending something for her when none of us knew if she would make it…like how her dr. says i should expect delays b/c she was born early…says that she’s the size of a 7 mos old in height and weight though in her pics she has cute baby rolls…but then she stood up unaware of gravity at the Christmas party)

ok…Christmas, anything associated with that word or my expectations of what that means…anything remote associated with gift-giving after i saw this pic and realized i was a horrible, horrible person, lover, mother and daughter…it all makes me sad. it is just Lilly and i…and though i have tried to busy myself, each attempt has found me falling flat on my ass (and on one ocassion, quite literally).

i am in an odd place of trying to not move anymore for the wreckage i cause…and attempting to salvage the holiday for my daughter.

so how bad would it be…to have her open her gifts every four days… extending it to epiphany…the twelve days of Christmas?

(or maybe i should discreetly remove the wrapping from the gifts, tear down the tree and bag it for another year. i dislike December…it is the darkest month. i ruin lives in December. life crashes in December…maybe i should cut my losses and learn how to hibernate and stay out of people’s way…idk…YOU choose, b/c i suck at decisions! and yeah…that is me keeping positive and trying to hold “it” together…what i should really do is go to TX and make everything right again! you would if this was your father…i’m the only one who can make it right…i’m all that’s left…)

The Twelve Days of Christmas is one of my favorite carols because I can relate to it. There are the actual Christmas Day festivities of course. Daniel woke me up early because he wanted to see what Santa had brought him. Meka spilled the beans about Santa last year, but I still categorically deny any hint of a relationship between myself and Mr. Claus. Our governor would be proud. Daniel got a Hot Wheels raceway that I managed to assemble in my sleep. After a nap, we got ready and drove into Chicagoland to visit my aunt and see my mom’s side of the family.

Besides Christmas Day, we also had Christmas Eve. Traditionally that is “our” Christmas, a day just for immediate family. Over time, it’s evolved into the “Orphans’ Christmas”. Anyone who didn’t have somewhere else to go was invited for food, gifts and general warm spirits. This year I invited my dad and stepmom, my sister and my old college roommate. Meka invited her friend from school so he could visit his parrots. Meka’s parents spend the winter in California. While she got a phone call from them on December 25^th, we celebrated Christmas early while we were there at Thanksgiving. Her brother’s family came over too and we had a very nice time watching the Lions get embarrassed on national television. If that’s not an early Christmas present for a Bears fan, I don’t know what is. My mom and stepdad came down a few days before Christmas and have until New Years Day to make the rounds to see everyone. We got our turn for a few hours on the day after Christmas. It was Boxing Day; we celebrated by breaking down a bunch of boxes and putting them out to be recycled.

The actual celebrating of Christmas cannot be contained in a single twenty-four hour period. Including the preparations for Christmas, there are many more days that get included. There was the day we went to Target to get our Christmas picture taken. I count Black Friday as one of the days of Christmas. I had to wait in long lines; maybe I should count it as two. We went to church last Sunday and I spend another couple of days working on Christmas cards. Meka would probably add a few days to make cookies and clean the house. That probably takes me up to twelve days with more to come: I have a couple of presents to return, I have several pounds I need to lose and of course I have to work many days in order to pay everything off.

Cheers everyone, I hope you’re enjoying the day after Christmas, that’s Boxing Day in the United Kingdom!  Today we escape the “new Black Friday” shopping madness, by continuing our spa journey inspired by the Twelve Days of Christmas.  Today’s the second day of Christmas:

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me two turtledoves

The ultra chic and quirky Hotel 1000 has to be one of the hottest destinations in Seattle.  Replete with every mod con, the plush rooms are fully equipped for relaxing – outfitted with tubs that fill from the ceiling. 

Sanctuary everywhere at Hotel 1000

Hotel 1000 has several retreats on the property including a book-stuffed Fireside Library with coffee service and the clubbish Studio, encompasssed with backlit onyx and anchored by a fire pit.  Luxury magazine Robb Report has even named Hotel 1000 one of the 100 Top Hotels in the World.  

For the holidays they have a festive package called 12 Days of Comfort, Joy & Passport to celebrate the season.  Each night, a special event pays homage to one of the dozen days.  And, lucky for us, their Spaahh (whose name begs creativity) has created a bevy of beauty treatments inspired by the Twelve Days of Christmas.  

Superdeep and dramatic filling baths

And what true love wouldn’t want to give this inspired treatment where both giver and recipient get to indulge?:

Turtle Doves Couple’s Massage, 60 min. 

Share quality time together as you indulge yourself in a spa treatment for two. What better way to start the holiday season, then give the gift of togetherness as you bond and relax any tensions away. Your experience is finished off with a glass of sparking wine and truffles making this the perfect treatment for two. $260 

They also have a Maids a Milkin’ facial and Pear Tree Pedi for a Santa-tacular beauty experience! 

I highly suggest grabbing your other turtle dove and have a merry spa rendez vous here.

Three french hens are coming your way tomorrow.  See you at the spa, Candy