The 12th Day of Christmas

12 Drummers Drumming



I'm a bit sad that tonight is the last night. I have had so much fun doing this!

Tonights gift was a challenge to find - I have been looking for several days for a "drum" and kept coming up empty handed. I was running some errands today and stopped at the book store (looking for something else) and asked by chance if they had any "drums". I ended up finding 3 perfect gifts while I was there. A chapter book about a drum playing fairy, the little drummer boy movie and a sturdy book that plays music with the little drummer boy story. Then I found the three little drum decorations at Michael's (all 3 for less than a dollar).
Also included tonight was a card explaining why we chose them and revealing who we were.



Card:




Poem:

(Adapted from the above link)


Night 12 has arrived, and on this our last night, 

One dozen drummers would be a grand sight. 

But the noise of their drums would hurt your head, 

So enjoy these books and movie we bring you instead.

The 11th Day of Christmas

11 Pipers Piping



Todays gift was pipe cleaner craft fun
A Fuzzoodle Kit (fuzzy pipe cleaners & pieces you can attach
to build faces and stuff with)
& Extra pipe cleaners

Card:



Poem:

(Adapted from the above link)

The Eleventh Day brings the pipers and their pipes
Such talent they have with so many colors and types

Here are some twisty fun pipes just for you.

So you can join in and have lots of fun, too.

We simply can't believe this game is almost through. 

We've had a jolly time bringing these gifts to you. 

With only one more night, don't you wish you knew,

Just exactly who we are and why we're doing this for you?

The 10th Day of Christmas

10 Lords a Leaping



Todays gift was popcorn

The 10 lords where bringing it when they got caught in a snowdrift so we found some more with a sweet topping to share

Card:



Poem:

(Adapted from the above link)

Ten lords a leaping would be an awesome gift,

But they got stuck while jumping in a snowdrift.
As we watched, we saw their yummy popcorn fly

So we found some with a sweet topping for you to try.

The 9th Day of Christmas

Nine Ladies Dancing



Todays gift was 2 Christmas music CD's (for the Ladies to dance to)



Card:



Poem:

Nine ladies dancing would be too big a crowd, 

Besides their music is way too loud.

We have for you Christmas songs,

That you can listen to all season long.

The 8th Day of Christmas

Eight Maids a Milking



The 8 Maids a milking were new at there job.
Try as they may they just couldn't get the milk to come out right.
Instead of plain milk, they got chocolate milk and milk duds.

Card:



Poem:

With a few changes -

On the eighth day of Christmas, we're busy as a bee. 

While the Eight maids-a-milking, no where do we see. 

But thankfully there in the barn we spy a tasty sweet, 

Chocolate Milk and Milk Maid caramels, what a treat.

The 7th Day of Christmas

Seven Swans a swimming



Tonights concept was that the Seven swans were swimming and playing in bubbles before they flew south. Therefore, the gift was bubble bath.



Card:


Poem:

I changed the last two lines of the poem I found at the above link and came up with this:

The 7th day of Christmas and we are half way done,
Remember no peeking or you’ll spoil the fun.
On this day of Christmas, how nice it would be,
If seven swans a swimming your family could see.
When we arrived at the pond only bubbles were there
but the swans left a note saying they were eager to share

The 6th Day of Christmas

Six Geese a Laying



Tonight I made Chocolate Eggs that the geese left when they flew south.
I found the idea here

You melt white chocolate or Almond bark then add a yellow center to look like an egg. The above site said to drop an M&M in the center but I didn't get that it was only 1 until just now. I wasn't sure how you got the M&M's to all melt together smoothly. Also, thinking I used more than one on each "egg", I wasn't sure how many bags of M&M's I would have to buy to get enough yellow ones, so I just used yellow sprinkles instead. They turned out really cute. I forgot to take a picture of them before I packaged them up but you can sort of see in the above picture.

Card:



Poem:

Six geese a-laying -- an interesting sight.

One of them squawked and they all took flight. 

What they left in their nest, 
you'll just have to look, 

But with these you won't want to cook.

The 5th Day of Christmas

5 Golden Rings



Todays gift was a tin of butter cookies and some bracelets for the girls and a bracelet pen for the boy in the family.

Card:



Poem:

I decided to go with my own creation tonight because all the previous days had started out with "On the ____ day of Christmas" and Zac's poem tonight didn't. I was kind of torn though because I liked his poem but I didn't want to bother him to add to it since he was busy editing pictures.
So in the end I wrote my own.

Here are the two versions:

Zacs:

Five golden rings would be nice,
the way they shimmer in the light
But sparkly bracelets shimmer too,
and cookies just feel so right

Mine:

On the fifth day of Christmas we sing “Five golden rings”
So a box of golden cookies is part of the gift we bring
Also for the kids, we must insist
they wear these “rings” around their wrists

The 4th Day of Christmas

Four Calling Birds



Before the cell phone age, the gifts for this day were traditionally calling cards or cash for the pay phone but since that doesn't work now days, what to do for the 4 calling birds?

I liked the pen and paper idea I found in this poem .

The calling birds have all flown away.
They're visiting the South to see the view.
Instead of a call, they left these few things,
Some pencils and paper – their gift to you.

However, I didn't like that the lines of the poem didn't rhyme like the previous days did so I inlisted Zac's help again and he came up with this:

On the fourth day of Christmas, four things you will not miss
A bunch of calling birds and the mess that certainly comes with
Instead a pretty box full off paper and pens for all to share
A slightly boring gift I hope still manages to say, “I care”

I was slightly offended by his "boring" comment but in the end decided to leave it because it was something Zac would say and I want these gifts to be from all of us. This was part of his contribution. He also is the one who delivers the packages each night while everyone else is fast asleep in our beds. Zac just isn't wired to go to bed early so I know it is safe for him to make the delivery trip before he goes to bed.

Last night before I put the gift together, I was making chocolate chip cookies and didn't have any baking soda so I had to make a quick trip to the store. While there, I found this little box that had 4 birds on it "perfect"!
Ok technically it has 5 birds if you count the one on the ground.
But either way, I knew it had to make its way into this gift!



I filled the little box with several different pencil and paper gifts. The green and black pad in the back has a hole in it that you keep the pen in - I almost bought one of these for myself as well. Then for the kids I found a little box of paper, stickers and colored pencils and Cars pads that came with pencils as well. Also I added a little pad of paper that had a magnetic closure and was printed with ornaments and the word Noel on the front.

Don't forget the card:

The 3rd Day of Christmas

Three French Hens



Most of the idea I found for today were for chicken noodle soup, or cornish hens. But then I saw something about a coffee mug with french vanilla coffee mix. I loved this idea and wanted to find some sort of chicken/hen container or dish and a vanilla drink mix to combine some how.

I came across the above pictured tin at Hobby Lobby and knew it was perfect! But, what to put in it?
So I searched the drink isle at the store and found French Vanilla Hot Coca Mix. I then picked up a few packs of regular milk chocolate hot coca mix as well and added a bag of marshmallows to top it all off with. Then packaged it all up with some red tissue paper and the printed card.

Card:




Todays poem was challenging to write. I'm not know for being gifted in cleverness when it comes to writing. So after many attempts, I took my ideas to Zac who quickly came up with the perfect ending.


Poem:

Night 3 arrives, but we are not it France,
And three French hens don’t come by chance.
In fact in this gift, true hens there are not,
But what there is that is French is enjoyed while its hot.

The 2nd Day of Christmas

Todays secret gift was - Two Turtle Doves





I bought a little glittery green basket and filled it with Turtle Chocolates, Dove Chocolate Bars and some curly ribbon. Then printed a little card

Front of Card


Poem:
Tonight you have turtles & doves coming your way,
So relax, enjoy, and eat all the chocolate you may.
Because in your family you have quite a few,
We've left on your doorstep more than just two.

This glad Christmas season is so full of fun.
We're happy to share with your family, then run.
How grateful we are that you're playing our game.
You'll now find that Christmas won't be the same.

The 12 Days of Christmas - Day 1

Once again its been forever since I blogged. Most days I barely have time to check my email so the time dedicated to blogging gets pushed aside. But with today being the 1st of December, I'm more than ready to start my holiday giving and I wanted to share a project I'm doing.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas - everything about it makes me smile - well except maybe the credit card bills :)

My tree has been up for weeks now and I've been listening to Christmas music for well over a month. Several weeks ago I was listening to the all Christmas music radio station in my car while driving to the oncologists office to have my port flushed. On the way there, I heard the song the 12 Days of Christmas for the first time this year. It immediately reminded me of how a friend of mine had given gifts to someone important in her life for 12 days in a row. My entire appointment I couldn't stop thinking about it. So on the drive home I called my friend to find out the details. Then when I got home I looked it up on line. I could hardly stand the excitement. I wanted to start that day but Thanksgiving wasn't even here yet so I had to wait.

Traditionally the 12 days of Christmas begin on Christmas day and go through the 6th of January but there have already been plenty of presents given by then so most people do it as an advent starting on the 13th and going through Christmas Eve. I however couldn't wait that long and thought it would be fun to do it the FIRST 12 days of the month :)

So with today being December 1st, here is what was secretly left last night:




I got a little basket and filled it with little bits of garland (tree) then arranged on top 5 different types of fresh pears, Pear hand soap, Apple - Pear lotion and a little bird ornament. Then I made a little card with a photo I found here and printed the poem I found here

Front of card:



Poem:

Twas the first day of Christmas and all through your house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
'Cept suddenly some little souls did appear,
It is your Christmas friends, bringing you holiday cheer.

Tonight calls for a partridge in your pear tree,
But partridges are tough to catch, as we came to see.
So how bout fresh pears, and an ornamental bird,
These pears are quite tasty, or so we have heard.

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.


Check back tomorrow to see Day 2 "Two Turtle Doves"