Twelve Days of Christmas

by Dr. Betty Middleton Rowan Public Library

The “Twelve Days of Christmas“ first was published in 1780 in England as a children’s book titled, “Mirth Without Mischief.” It appears to be a memory game where the first player would recite the first verse, with each of the following players repeating the previous verse and adding another one. The game soon became very popular at the Twelfth Night parties.

The Twelve Days of Christmas are not the 12 days before Christmas, but in most of the Western churches, are the 12 days beginning with Christmas and ending with the beginning of Epiphany (Jan. 6).  Some European and Scandinavian cultures also observe Jan. 6 as Little Christmas.

Each of the 12 days was celebrated with a feast in memory of a saint or event associated with the Christmas season and gifts were given on each of the 12 nights.  For some celebrants, Twelfth Night remains the biggest night for parties and gift-giving. Some households exchanged  gifts on the first night (Dec. 25) and the Twelfth Night (Jan. 5).

To fit into the feasting of the Twelve Days of Christmas, Rowan Public Library has a generous amount of material to fill all your needs.  It was difficult to narrow down the selection.

One on my favorites is “Debbie Macomber’s Christmas Cookbook“ by Debbie Macomber. Yes, this is the Debbie Macomber of Mrs. Miracle fame. She has a perfect collection of Christmas recipes that cover breakfast, appetizers, Christmas Tea, dinner, desserts and gifts. “Christmas with Martha Stewart Living: Classic Crafts and Recipes for the Holidays” by Martha Stewart, includes easy-to-make decorations, wreaths covered with berries and pinecones, fruitcake recipes and dinner from soup to fabulous desserts.

“Christmas with Paula Deen“ by Paula Deen. This is a collection of recipes from Paula’s most requested homemade gifts of food and impressive fare for Christmas dinner and holiday entertaining, along with stories from her favorite holiday.

“Making Great Gingerbread Houses” by Aaron Morgan offers templates and instructions for making cabins to castles, from lighthouses to tree houses. “Gingerbread Houses” by Christa Currie contains easy-to-follow instructions which show beginners the basic techniques and even how to add new ideas for door and windows.

Complete this adventure with “The Ultimate Handcrafted Christmas“ by Alan D. Gear, with 150 decorations, gifts, cards and cookies to make for a perfect Christmas, and “Wreaths around the House” by Deborah Morgenthal, with more than 80 distinctive wreaths to make, enjoy and give as gifts.

So enjoy the Twelve Days of Christmas and have yourself a merry Little Christmas.