Show and Tell Friday: 12 Days of Christmas Tree

I love displaying small Christmas trees. Last week, I shared about Our Family Tree that we're displaying in our entryway as a way to celebrate our love for our family this Christmas season.

This little ornament tree sits on the back of our piano.


Last year, I bought a set of "12 Days of Christmas" ornaments. Each ornament is made of paper-mâché and depicts a different day in the "12 Days of Christmas Song". This ornament tree holds exactly 12 ornaments, so it was a perfect way to display them. I love how colorful they are, and that they have a vintage look to them.

One of the reasons that I love this tree is that I found Christian meanings attributed to each of the "12 Days of Christmas". There is some controversy as to whether or not this was the actual origin of the song, but I love remembering them this way, and will teach this to our children. Here are the days, along with some of the pictures of these ornaments!

First Day: A Partridge in a Pear Tree - The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them.


Second Day: Two Turtle Doves - The Old and New Testaments

Third Day: Three French Hens - Faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).

Fourth Day: Four Calling Birds - The four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Fifth Day: Five Golden Rings - The first Five Books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.


Sixth Day: Six Geese A Laying - The six days of creation.

Seventh Day: Seven Swans A Swimming - The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

Eighth Day: Eight Maids A Milking - The eight Beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

Ninth Day: Nine Ladies Dancing - The nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.


Tenth Day: Ten Lords A Leaping - The Ten Commandments


Eleventh Day: Eleven Pipers Piping - The eleven faithful disciples

Twelfth Day: Twelve Drummers Drumming - The 12 points of the Apostles' Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

If you would like a set of ornaments similar to these, you can find them here.

(For more Show and Tell, you can visit Kelli's!)

I hope that you have a great weekend celebrating the season!