FIVE GOLDEN RINGS...

Who doesn't love singing the Twelve Days of Christmas carol?  Getting to scream "FIVE GOLDEN RINGS" is every child's delight.  My oldest daughter is just learning this carol.  Her Nanny had the ornaments that went along with the song, and she wanted to learn it.  I told her about singing that song when I was a little girl.  My mom had a special Christmas place mat for me that had all the pictures that went along with the song.  One of my best friends and I would take that place mat and record ourselves singing the famous carol.  Now, as I have said before, I do not make any type of joyful noise when singing, but it was lots of fun.  I would give anything to find that old tape.  I am sure we thought we sounded like true pop stars back then.  We would laugh and laugh and start-over about a thousand times.  It is a fun memory, and I think of us singing together every time I hear that song.

There are other versions of that song now.  The one that is called the Twelve Pains of Christmas does make me laugh.  The people singing just sound so funny.  I do not agree with all the "pains", but I can relate to some. The link for the lyrics is http://www.minibite.com/Christmas/12pains.htm.  My girls love Max Lucado's character Hermie.  He has a wonderful Christmas video that truly teaches little ones the reason for Christmas.  There is also a  book that has Hermie's own version of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  It goes through all the bugs that live in the garden.  The girls enjoy checking it out of the library around this time of the year.

My wonderful aunt :) sent me the meaning behind the Twelve Days of Christmas song.  So, I wanted to share as our Christmas story for today...

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.-

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching,Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

Today's Verse

"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."  

John 15:11

I am joyful today because I do not have to hide that I am a Christian.  We do not have to have code words for our faith.  My family does not have to worship in secret.  We have the freedom to love God and celebrate His Son's birth.  Let's make sure our joy is full today!  We have so many reasons to be joyful!