The Twelve Days of Christmas

The lovely, joyful song of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ has been such a delight for centuries. For many Christmas isn’t Christmas without the iconic, timeless and atmospheric carols that many know off by heart. We all have our favourites and one of mine is the sing-along English Christmas Carol, the Twelve Days of Christmas which was the inspiration for my fine art Christmas cards.

It is believed to have been first published in the late 1700s and appeared in a children’s book ‘Mirth without Mischief’ in 1780. Each day represents a new gift and it is a lovely representation of the excitement and build up of the days leading up to Christmas day itself. I love how the carol floods our minds with the magical and whimsical elements of the Christmas period adding to the fun of the festivity. As well as inspiring the joy of giving to loved ones it really does feel like a countdown to the big day.  

The carol originated from a form of children’s verse which adds a new item to the previous verse. This is a classic example of a cumulative song which means each verse is built on top of the previous verse - a game of memory and forfeit in which each person takes their turn reciting and then adds another line.

The 12 days start with Christmas day all the way to the Coming of the Magi known as 'Epiphany' on January 6th, which marks the end of the Christmas celebration. This is traditionally the same day when we sadly take down the Christmas tree, pack away the decorations and take the lights down. 

Some of the wonderful gifts have inspired the images in my collection of art Christmas Cards which feature eclectic and colourful images and the wintry natural world. They are available to buy as a set of 6 Christmas cards or as a set of 6 mixed Xmas cards or as a pack of 12 art cards.

"On the first day of Christmas My true love sent to me A partridge in a pear tree"

Our journey begins with a serene scene of a partridge perched gracefully on a blossoming pear tree. In my card ‘Partridge in a Pear tree’ the tranquillity of the moment is captured with delicate brushstrokes, a soft colour palette and with a little basket of pears

'Partridge in a Pear Tree' Christmas Card

"On the second day of Christmas My true love sent to me Two Turtle Doves"

Turtle doves represent love and friendship and must be one of my favourite birds. We have been lucky enough here on the downs near my village to have these beautiful birds visit us with their distinctive, gentle ‘purr’. They also appear on another greeting card -

'The Cherry Tree Doves' is a fine art greeting card often bought as a Wedding Anniversary or Valentine’s day card - Turtle Doves pair for life! Although the dove Christmas card is a staple for Christmas imagery, in the UK turtle doves also migrate to Africa during the winter.

'The Cherry Tree Doves' greeting card

“On the third day of Christmas My true love sent to me Three French hens”

The third day brings three French hens symbolising faith, hope and charity.

“On the Fourth day of Christmas My true love sent to me Four Calling Birds”

Day four introduces us to four calling birds, whose lovely songs fill the air with Christmas joy. In my Four Calling Birds Christmas card each bird is distinctive and painted to create a sense of movement and fun, mirroring the joyful carols that resonate throughout our homes during Christmas.

These birds in my card were inspired by two beautiful collared doves which visited my garden many times. However, it is thought that the old version was “four colly birds’- ’colly’ meaning black in old English so it is probably four blackbirds.

'Four Calling Birds' Christmas card

"On the fifth day of Christmas My true love sent to me Five Gold Rings"

Everyone loves to sing the line -’Five go-old rings’ a dramatic pause before galloping through the rest. This might be a reference to the rings around a pheasant’s neck - the common ring-necked pheasant and not jewellery at all, although the thought of a present of gold rings does seem more Christmassy!

"On the Sixth day of Christmas My true love sent to me 6 Geese-a-laying"

Six geese a-laying are the ‘drama queens’ of this lively of Christmas songs. Representing fertility and new beginnings this gift is symbolic of the world and its creation and represents the world made by God in six days as described in the book of Genesis.

"On the Seventh day of Christmas My true love sent to me Seven-Swans-a-Swimming"

The Seven Swans a Swimming are said to be representative of the seven gifts described in the Bible - Romans 12 as being from the Holy Spirit. Those gifts are described as knowledge, understanding, wisdom, fortitude, teaching, giving and mercy. Perhaps the idea is that with those gifts we can live a graceful, serene life. 

The Swan ‘models’ for this card were from a painting I made of the elegant swans as they glided elegantly on the river running by the romantic 13th Century Hever castle. I used serene blues and greens to create a dream-like atmosphere.

Hever Castle

'Seven Swans-a-Swimming' Christmas card

Interestingly, the first 7 lyrics the song all reference birds - a partridge, turtle-doves, french hens, blackbirds, swans and geese. There seem to be no shortage of birds to paint and add to this collection of unique Christmas cards.

‘On the Eighth day of Christmas My true love sent to me Eight-Maids-a-Milking’

The eighth day brings us eight maids a-milking, symbolising sustenance and nurture and representing the 8 blessings from the beginning of The Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Mathew such as:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven’

‘Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God’

"On the Ninth day of Christmas My true love sent to me Nine ladies dancing"

This verse captures an image of the festive and joyful time of Christmas - a wonderful time for dancing and having fun, embodying joy and celebration. The spiritual component or Christian message here is that the nine ladies are the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians which are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

"On the Tenth day of Christmas My true love sent to me Ten lords-a-leaping"

On the tenth day, the ten lords bring a sense of grandeur and excitement. They are believed to be the Ten Commandments but also adds a huge sense of fun to the song, imagining ten lords leaping around! 

"On the Eleventh day of Christmas My true love gave to me eleven pipers-piping"

The eleventh day introduces eleven pipers piping, their music filling the air with merriment, lively and good cheer. The Christian interpretation of this line is said to attributed to the eleven faithful apostles but it also another merry, musical image to sing.

And lastly…..

"On the Twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me Twelve Drummers-Drumming"

This line refers to the 12 points of doctrine in the Apostle’s creed and increases the party vibe!

We can heartily sing this carol as an exciting ‘story’ full of love, gifts and rich imagery of parties, beautiful birds and dancing and/or we can enjoy the Christian symbolic tenets of the Christmas story in this wonderful time of the year. This uplifting carol has been a real inspiration for me in my growing Christmas cards collection to create a vivid and enchanting tapestry of images to accompany the magic of Christmas.

Other cards in the collection can be bought as a set of 6 fine art Christmas cards or as a pack of 12 art cards

More animals appear in ‘Sheep Under the Stars’ and ‘A Village Christmas’.  Both arty Christmas cards are sheep Christmas cards featuring snow scenes made from paintings of local curious sheep.

'Sheep Under the Stars' Christmas card

'We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ is a cute Christmas card of a bear with a fiddle, a musical rabbit and a blackbird practice singing in the woods. A cheeky little robin arrives to join them! A single donkey is the star in the ‘Little Donkey’ and ‘Christmas Eve’ artistic Christmas cards. 

'We Wish you a Merry Christmas' Christmas card

'Little Donkey' Christmas card