12 Days of Christmas Day 12

 “On the twelfth day of Christmas 

My true love gave to me-

12 drummers drumming!”

My apologies for making everyone wait for Day 12.

Sometimes Life gets in the way.

Sometimes Death pops in unexpectedly.

But here we are, and we have some True Love gifts to finish up!

If you are using the rhyme to help you remember some faith-related items and people, then the 12 days stand for the 12 apostles.

This causes some people headaches.

Jesus started out his ministry with 12 hand picked men to be his followers. Disciples. Foundations of the Church you could say. Apostles.

Only Judas Iscariot threw a wrench in the plans (or did he?) Since I believe God knows all, and is in charge of all plans, kingdoms and happenings, then I believe Judas was a part of God’s plan from the beginning.

I know, pretty radical stuff.

So when Judas I. killed himself, did that eliminate him as an Apostle? Human reasoning would say Yes! But that leaves us with 11 Disciples (Apostles). So where is number 12?

Paul! (Formerly known as Saul). You can read all about it in the New Testament. His turn-around from persecutor to follower is really quite miraculous.

So with Paul generally accepted as an Apostle, that brings us back to 12.

12 drummers drumming.

Littlemotorcar, Digital artist, Pinterest

Only please,

Do Not say the rhyme was historically written for religious purposes. It wasn’t. Just a children’s rhyming game that became super popular, then out of favor until put to music in 1907.

This illustration is one of my favorites!

Green Box Art

And I must add in some Sandra Boynton humor,

of course!

By Sandra Boynton

People use slightly different order of gifts,

mostly depending on whether you are American

or English-European.

I have laid out my 12 Days of Christmas 

in the traditional American (North) order.

Is it the ‘right’ one?

Dunno!

But it’s the one I’m familiar with!

Here’s an unusual painting of the 12 -

By Alice and Martin Provensen

Here is a more modern look, 

with all kinds of different drums.

Pinterest

Here are a couple of different ways you can easily draw a drum:

ColoringPages101.com

BigActivities.com

You never know when you might need a drum that needs drawing…

…or need a cross stitch pattern -

FreePatterns.com

Shelley Wexell posted on Pinterest 

Well, that is the summary of 

The 12 Days of Christmas

On the 12th day of Christmas 

my true love gave to me-

12 drummers drumming

11 pipers piping

10 lords a’leaping

9 ladies dancing

8 maids a’milking

7 swans a swimming

6 geese a’laying

5..golden..rings!

4 colley birds

3 French hens

2 turtle doves

and a Partridge in a Pear Tree!

Posted on Pinterest

I hope you have had fun,

learned a little history

and maybe tried a craft or two!

‘Til next time,

inkspired

12 Days of Christmas Day 11

 “On the eleventh day of Christmas 

My true love gave to me -

Eleven pipers piping.”

The Paperface Store

But what kind of pipes are we talking about here?

Metro, Pinterest 

What with all the birds cooing, cawing and generally making a ruckus;

Cows mooing, tap dancers tapping, and gold rings clinking…

This whole Christmas giving thing could cause a girl to have a serious headache!

These pipes could be much more soothing -

Alene-art.com

But these pipes would NOT!

Or were those pipes not musical at all?

By S.H.; Pinterest

I certainly hope not smoking pipes!

Pipe smoking has the same carcinogens as cigarettes,

With toxic chemicals and a large dollop of nicotine thrown in.

Pipe smoking is NOT safer than smoking cigarettes, and increases your chances of developing these lovely cancers:

Head and neck cancers

Liver cancer

Bladder and pancreas cancers

Mouth and tongue cancers

Still think pipe smoking is ‘cool’?

Then get ready for a higher likelihood for 

heart disease, lung disease, COPD, erectile dysfunction, stroke and multiple dental problems.

I think my true love loves me much more than that, so I’m going to stick with the musical pipers piping!

I also happen to be one peep who likes to listen to bagpipes.

(I know, weird, huh?)

But back to our eleventh day of fabulous and varied gifts, all from my true love.

From a favorite artist, Sandra Boynton

Here is a nice coloring page -

Londonderry images.com

And a really nice needlepoint ornament with bead accents -

Uploaded by Diana Sagmoe

I like this simple piper as you could cut him from wood, or paper, or fun foam - anything really!

Here is another version -

Next I have chosen a simple line drawing of a flute -

Edupics

Lately I’ve been playing with shrink plastic (Shrinky Dinks). I think this line drawing would look great in rainbow colors and turned into Shrinky Dink charms.

I think it’s time to wrap up the 11th day,

With another fave illustration -

I found this on Pinterest. It is 1/2 of a 2 page spread.

Pipers 10 and 11 are on the unseen page.

I still like it!

So far we have 11 pipers

10 lords

9 dancing ladies

8 milkmaids

8 milking cows

7 swans

6 geese

Assorted baby geese and eggs

5 golden rings

4 Colley birds

3 Hens, French or otherwise

2 turtle doves that could possibly be peacocks instead

1 partridge (or possibly a peacock)

1 pear tree (or a cedar tree)

Whew!

Next is 

12 drummers drumming

As if there wasn’t already enough chaos!

‘Til next time,

Inkspired

Some sites I checked out while researching this blog, in no particular order:

oncolink.org

tobaccocontrol.bmj.com

verywellmind.com

Pinterest

Wikipedia 

12 Days of Christmas Day 10

“On the tenth day of Christmas

My true love gave to me-

10 lords a’leaping…”

Ray Kampf, Neatorama

Well, probably not those kind of 

Leaping Lords…

Since this children’s rhyming game was popular around 1780, the Lords probably looked more like this -

Dribble, Pinterest

If you want to use this game (put to music in 1906) as something to help you remember Biblical events, places and people, then the 10 Lords stand for the 10 Commandments,

given to Moses by God and told in the Old Testament part of the Bible.

Lori Siebert - Courtney Davis

Just please don’t perpetuate the myth that this was the true meaning of the rhymes, as it clearly is not.

That would be like taking the 

‘Do re me’ song from The Sound of Music 

and giving each sound a religious 

meaning!

Personally, I have always liked frogs as representing the 10 Lords leaping.

By fabulous author and artist Sandra Boynton

Lords leaping brings such fun images to my imagination!

This one reminds me of the chimney sweeps in 

‘Mary Poppins’

Jane Ray, gillianmcclure.blogspot.com

I think 3 of them have fallen off the roof…

No, wait, they are just hiding on the next page!

         Let’s have some crafty fun with these fancy dancing fellows.

Suncatcher Studio

This is a great pattern to cut from paper and make ornaments for your tree, or package decorations.

Tip:

Use a small hole punch in the small areas.

You can then fit the tip of your small scissors inside the hole and snip out the area.

Let’s learn how to draw a frog!

pilllpat (agence eureka), Flickr

Next I have a great coloring page,

and a simple line drawing you can fill in with doodles (Zentangles) -

Edupics

Mom Junction

Here are a couple of beaded frogs -

Attica, Pinterest

Tiffani Cartier

I found many free beaded frog patterns on Pinterest if you would like to make a whole army of frogs!

(No, not military. Army is what a group of frogs are called).

Webshots; ScreenSavers

Here is one version of how to make an origami frog. There are a couple out there and depending on how you fold your frog, you can make it jump!

sweet trees, uploaded on Pinterest by Julie Samplawska

Frogs not your thing?

That’s okay! Here is a Leaping Lord coloring page for you -

S. John Davey, 1993

Oops!

12 leaping lords?!?

Yep. There are a few versions of 12 days of Christmas. Here in America we usually stick with the 1906 musical version (and order) that Frederic Austin wrote (published 1909). So, I’m sticking with 10 Lords a’leaping.

Stampscoinsnotes.com

Here are some charming beaded people that could easily be lords -

By curious, Pinterest

Again, I found several versions on Pinterest.

Well, that concludes our tenth day of presents.

Next up -

11 Pipers piping!

Til next time,

inkspired

Angie McLane Crossin 

12 Days of Christmas Day 8

‘On the eighth day of Christmas

My true love gave to me -

8 maids a’ milking!” 

1884 trading card, The Old Design Shop

‘Eight maids a’milking’

Sounds pretty straightforward doesn’t it?

But in the 1760’s, seldom was there anything that didn’t have a double meaning, a hidden agenda.

And milk maids were no exception!

‘The Milkmaid’ by JohannesVermeer, 1657-58

Some viewed milk maids as ‘every woman’, or what we might call ‘Jane Doe’.

Unfortunately they were on the bottom of the pay scale and social status.

They served a master who considered them as worth very little and easily replaceable.

Most lived in the city!

Dreamstime Stock Photos

Milk was not a common drink, due to poor storage - no refrigerators! So milk spoiled rapidly and easily.

It was mostly used in custards, cheeses sour milk cooking and puddings.

All dishes that stored better than raw milk.

Nellie uploaded this to Pinterest

However there was a demand for fresh milk - for children and the elderly, and for the ‘frail’.

St. James Park in London was where you went for freshly milked milk.

David Soiron, 1780; V&A Museum, London

‘Rain, frost, or snow, or hot or cold,

I travel up and down,

The cream and milk you buy of me

Is best in all the town.

For custards, puddings, or for tea,

There’s none like those you buy of me.’

1805 ‘Milk Below’

 Later shortened to “Milko!”

A song milk maids sang to gather customers.

A Dutch vintage milkmaid, courtesy tuckdb.org

So where is that hidden meaning?

A maid or maiden refers to a single, unmarried woman.

“Let’s go a’milking”

meant either a proposal of marriage,

Or a proposal of another kind!

(We would call that a proposition)

If the response was negative 

the potential suitor could laugh and say

‘Oh, well, I thought you might like to help with the cows!’

Dignity saved, laughter ensued.

1894 advertising card

Courtesy Boston Public Library

So, was our true love making sure we understood the proposal, repeating it 8 times?

Or was he concerned with our frail health?

Hard to say.

Let’s take a history break, and make something!

Here is a print & cut cow for you to put together.

Could be cute on your desk!

Or add it to a plate of cookies for your neighbor -

Milk & cookies!

This is a vintage embroidery pattern.

If you stitch it with all red thread

you have a nice piece of ‘redwork’.

Stitch on a square or round piece of fabric you have cut out 2 of them. After embroidering put right sides together and stitch all around the edge, BUT leave a small opening. Turn right sides out.

Tuck inside cotton, or some dried herbs, and you have a little pin cushion, or sachet.

Close the small opening with more stitches.

Fill her buckets with white pins for a charming look!

Here is a different design.

Uploaded on Pinterest by Brada Hargues

Uploaded on Pinterest by CatGirl007

Next are a couple of giggles for you:

By Kate Chidley 

By Sandra Boynton

From Etsy

One more interesting milk maid story!

In the late 18th century many people died of diseases such as infections and smallpox. Things that today we don’t think about other than getting some antibiotics for infections.

They didn’t understand about germs and cleanliness and microbes and such.

There was a phrase 

‘Smooth as a milkmaid’s skin’.

Smallpox, if it didn’t kill you, could leave you with terrible scars.

Except milkmaids didn’t seem to get the scars!

An Englishman, Dr. Edward Jenner, noticed.

He did some research.

Cows would get a disease called cow pox.

Milkmaids would get exposed to cow pox by milking infected udders.

Only cow pox was much milder and rarely caused death.

Pinterest

Milkmaids didn’t seem to get smallpox later.

Hmmmm.

Dr. Jenner decided to test his theory -

on a small 8 year old boy!

(Most children were not highly valued)

He took fluid from a cowpox sore

and injected it into the boy!

Nothing.

1 week later he exposed the boy to smallpox,

and he waited. And waited.

The boy didn’t get sick, and remained resistant to smallpox for the rest of his life.

Through this process, a cure for smallpox was eventually discovered.

So we can thank a milkmaid if we never get smallpox, don’t you think?

😁

That’s it for today!

‘Til next time,

inkspired

Some of the websites I visited to gather pictures and information, in no particular order or importance:

Unireadinghistory.org

RevKev43.Wordpress.com

Hampshirepewter.com

CarolyncHolland.Wordpress.com

JaneAustensworld.com

Wikipedia

Midphase.com

Pinterest

“A history of the cries of London” by T&J Bewick

“London Labour and the London poor” 1861-

Courtesy of Tufts Digital Library