♫ ♩ ♩ On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me ♩♩♫
I know, I know, Thanksgiving isn’t even over and I am posting about Christmas. What is wrong with me? And to make it worse now you’ll get the most annoying Christmas song ever stuck in your head.
Your welcome. ☺
But, you see, there’s a very good reason! I had the opportunity to review a new book by Jason Wright titled The 13th Day of Christmas. It’s a heartwarming tale of a special friendship forged between 81-year-old Marva and 9-year-old Charlee and the meaningful Christmas tradition Marva passes on. This tradition of giving is the reason I wanted to post this before Thanksgiving. You know I love teaching my children about service and gratitude and this book does both. I want the winner of today’s giveaway to have time to read the book and make plans for their own family to provide a 13 Days of Christmas for someone else.
I know your asking yourself, “Isn’t it 12 Days of Christmas?” Yes and no. Here’s a video Jason made just for us explaining a little bit about his family’s tradition of giving for the 12 13 Days of Christmas and what that 13th day is specifically for. I also asked Jason to share his favorite Christmas song and thankfully it is NOT the 12 Days of Christmas.
After a fun twelve days of changing the words to the original song and leaving gifts to correspond to the lyric change the thirteenth day, the day after Christmas, is for sharing our testimonies and recommitting our lives to live as the Savior did every day, all year round. Beautiful.
One person will win a copy of The 13th Day Of Christmas. To enter use the rafflecopter below. Be sure to read the instructions for each entry option. For instance you can’t just leave a comment like “Sounds like a great book!” You have to leave some ideas of lyric changes to the song The 12 Days of Christmas that could also be gifts for people to leave on a doorstep. Here are a couple of mine: 11 pipers piping = 11 diapers dripping {with good things like baby lotion, wipes, etc. and not literally dripping}, 6 geese-a-laying = 6 pianos playing {two CDs, one by The 5 Browns
Thanks, Jason for doing the video for us! Oh, and you can find Jason’s favorite Christmas song, Peace on Earth to Me, sung by Cherie Call on her album Gifts.
Shoes
Two handmade scarves! (For the elderly couple across the street.)
4 books of words? Seven snacks not slimming? 🙂 LOL! Love Jason- I’ve met him a couple of times, one of which was a writing workshop he gave here in VA. Genuinely good guy, and so fun! 🙂 Love his work!
This reminds me of the year we changed the lyrics during our family sing-along and had a crazy 12 Days version. My favorite was “3 French toast”. Most of them wouldn’t really work as gifts, though. Along the gift line, how about “a brand-new Christmas CD. It would be fun to incorporate food storage items like “6 salt shakers” or “10 packs of hot cocoa”.
We did 12 days of food storage for a family one year. It was a lot of fun. It went like this . . .
On the first day of Christmas my true friends gave to me . . .
Some sticks from an old dead tree (a bundle of firewood)
Two sacks of taters (two bags of potatoes)
Three pounds of chicken (bag of chicken breasts)
Four pounds of beans (bag of pinto beans)
Five pounds of gold (honey)
Six pounds of peaches (large can of peaches)
Seven jugs of water (seven gallons of water)
Eight bars of soap
Nine morning oranges
Ten pounds of sugar
Eleven rolls of T.P.
Twelve Sweet Surprises (twelve candy bars)
chocolate and carmel covered pretzel sticks
a CD of Christmas songs
a children’s Christmas storybook
I would say two tons of fruitcake for all the fruitcake that is given, but not eaten. Joni
I was going to say
Twelve Rolls of TP, because they can come in packs of twelve, but Brown Eggs and Jam beat me to it. 😉
We did this as a service project when I was a YW. I was in charge of day 8- 8 maids a moppin’! We snuck in and cleaned the house from top to bottom. Can’t really leave that on the steps tho, unless as a gift certificate for the housecleaning service.
I’ve been thinking about this since I read this this morning (wow 3 this’s in 6 words) and I think I have come up with something suitable! (I really struggle with this sort of thing). So here it goes: On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two cozy socks, hot peppermint tea with a good read. (So the first day would be peppermint tea with a Christmas book and the second day a pair of sock…most likely to a single sister, as we try to serve a single sister in our ward at Christmas time). By the way I have loved all the books I have read by Jason Wright. He is so talented.
what a cute idea!
Our family has a tradition to give the baby Jesus a gift.
Something we do after Christmas.
This might be fun to read and include in that!
1 Scripture advent chain
5 family fun night games
5 golden wings! (hot wings or wings from KFC)
or 5 winged angels with golden wings.
“12 cinnamon rolls a steaming” we have left these on doorsteps at Christmas Eve. Lots of fun and happy moms with breakfast already for the morning:)
Cute! How about… 4 callings girls (there were 4 girls in my family growing up and we were always calling my parents to wake up Christmas morning so we could open presents!)
Not a change to the words but what about for 5 golden rings you leave 5 glazed donuts.
Thank you for offering the give-a-away! The video was great. What a cute dog, little Pilgrim.
Anyway, my lyric is:
One sidewalk shoveled!!
12 Days of Kindness
4 calling cards (give to troops)
Four Quesadillas.
Here are some ideas for giving to kids:
12 Hummers humming (play instruments – like kazoos, harmonicas,recorders)
11 Candies striping (candy canes)
10 Fords a-creeping (toy cars)
9 Babies Prancing (9 pairs of socks)
8 Braids a-making (hair bows)
7 Trees a-trimming (Christmas ornaments)
6 Kids a-playing (any toys)
5 Funny things (5 random gifts)
4 Drawing books (blank notebooks)
3 Pencils (3 cute pencils or 3 packs of colored pencils)
2 Turtle necks (Turtle neck shirts for kids)
and an angel on a small tree (A little Christmas tree with an angel on top)
We have done the 12 days of Christmas too many times 🙂
I also like Grandma’s knitting (pairs of gloves or socks), Bells a-ringing (bell ornaments), 5 Yummy things, and Pencils drawing or Brushes Painting for more art supplies.
Two Coffee Mugs (with flavored coffee grounds or flavored cocoa mixes); 10 Pennants Waving (with a sweet banner for CHRISTMAS!)
5 golden grahams
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One basket full of items for a Family Fun Night(a game and some ingredients for refreshments).
Thanks for the giveaway!