The Twelve Days of Christmas Gifts
by Kat Richter

Traditionally, the song refers to the 12 days after Christmas. (If it's been a while since your last Sunday School visit, we're talking about the Three Wise Men and the celebration of Epiphany, which occurs on January 6th). But for this project, we're going to suggest you start before Christmas - on December 13th - and begin counting down the days until Christmas. This makes the build up to the holiday more exciting, plus it gives you the chance to take advantage of all the pre-Christmas sales.

You'll need a total of twelve gifts, one for each verse of the song. You'll also need some colored cardstock, glue and glitter to make your very own gift tags. We suggest painting each gift tag with glitter glue so that they read "On the first day of Christmas..." "On the second day of Christmas..."

Or, if you're feeling particularly creative (and brave), you could also write out the verses and serenade your partner each day when they open their gift. So on the third day you might sing something like:

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
Three scoops of ice cream,
Two bath bomb fizzies,
And some peppermint that looks like a tree.

Leading up to the full performance on Christmas Eve:

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
Twelve yummy cookies,
Eleven sexy kisses,
Ten times the snuggling,
Nine dances learning,
Eight ounces slipping,
Seven candles burning,
Six roses blooming,
Five fake golden rings,
Four flavored condoms,
Three scoops of ice cream,
Two bath bomb fizzies,
And some peppermint that looks like a tree.

Once your gift tags are ready to go, it's time to start shopping! But don't worry: many of the gifts you can include in this project are handmade or even free. You can try to match each gift to each verse (for example, a peppermint chocolate slab in the shape of a tree for "partridge in a pair tree" or two Bath Bomb Fizzies wrapped to look like eggs in a birds nest for "two turtle doves") but it's up to you.

Think outside the box, especially for the larger numbers. Ten Lords-a-Leaping, for example, could translate into a ten minute massage and Nine Ladies Dancing could be a night out at your favorite salsa club. You can also introduce a few novelty items if your sweetheart has been naughty this year!

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a Partridge in a Pear Tree:

• One moonlit walk
• One tree-shaped peppermint chocolate slab
• An hour-long couples massage
• Something naughty (now that's the way to start the holidays!)

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two Turtle Doves:

• Two of your sweetheart's favorite movies
• Two Bath Bomb Fizzies wrapped to look like birds' eggs in a nest
• Two bars of Dove soap carved to look like turtles
• Two caramel chocolate "turtles"

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me three French hens:

• Three scoops of ice cream or three pints of Ben and Jerry's.
• Three hours in your favorite museum or gallery
• Three framed photos of you and your partner together

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me four Calling Birds:

• Four large chocolate-covered strawberries
• Four novelty condoms
• Coupons for four chores they hate doing

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me five Golden Rings:

• Five-minute foot massage
• Five handmade bracelets
• Five fake golden rings (Ring Pops anyone?)
• Five heart-shaped ornaments

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me six Geese-a-Laying:

• Half a dozen of their favorite flowers
• Six of our DIY Love Coupons
• Six of their favorite candies or Jelly Belly flavors

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me seven Swans a-Swimming:

• Seven candles for a romantic bath
• Seven chocolate bars
• A list of seven things you want to do with (or to) your partner

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight Maids a-Milking:

• An 8oz. drink of their choice (Peppermint mocha, anyone?)
• 8oz. of massage oil which will soon be slathered all over their body
• Eight candy conversation hearts
• Eight of their favorite songs

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Nine Ladies Dancing:

• Dance lessons
• A night out at your favorite dance club
• A list of nine things you love about them
• Nine snowballs with smiley faces

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Ten Lords a-Leaping:

• Ten minutes of snuggling
• A photo collage depicting ten of your favorite memories together
• Ten hearts drawn on their bedroom window
• Ten thought balloons

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Eleven Pipers Piping:

• Tickets to see their favorite band
• Eleven of your favorite kisses from our 43 Kisses date
• Eleven glow in the dark stars for their ceiling

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Twelve Drummers Drumming:

• A dozen homemade cookies
• A dozen roses
• Twelve Hershey's kisses in different flavors.

You can wrap all of your gifts at the beginning and instruct your partner to open one each day, which is perfect for long distance relationships, or hide them and bring them out one by one. However you choose to unveil your gifts, remember that you don't have to spend a lot of money. It's the thought that counts, and with this romantic holiday gift idea, you'll definitely spread some holiday cheer!

Comments