On the 12th Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

twelve drummers drumming...

...eleven pipers piping

ten lords a leaping

nine ladies dancing

eight maids a milking

seven swans a swimming

six geese a laying

FIIIIVE GOLDEN RIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS

four colly birds

three French hens

two turtle doves

AND A PAAAAAAAARTRIIIIIDGE IIIIIN AAAAA PEAAAARRR TREEEEEEEEEEE!

We have reached the 12th day of Christmas! Today is Epiphany, or Three Kings Day. Here in Germany this day is set aside to remember the Magi who came to worship Jesus and bring him gifts. The magi followed the star and crossed a great distance. Most people believe it took them about three years to reach Jesus. When I was researching this project I actually read a site that said they got there twelve days after he was born. I'm more apt to believe the three years theory, but I guess it depends on how far from the east they came... Anyway... While we don't know how many Magi came, we are told about three particular gifts they brought. Gold, incense, and myrrh. Gold was to declare his kingship. Incense to declare his Lordship. And myrrh was a burial oil which indicated that they were in the know about his future as a sacrifice. Smart guys. They knew THAT baby was the world's Messiah.

Anyway, since I live in Germany I thought you all might enjoy a German nutcracker drummer. There's only the one, but he's really cool!

So what about the number twelve? Well, according to the research the twelve helps us remember the Apostle's Creed. Well, I'm Christian but not Catholic, so this one was completely new to me. I'll post it for you here, but I don't have any insights to share with you about it. I think it's kind of self-explanatory.

The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed 1: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3: He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5: On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6: He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7: I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8: the holy catholic Church, 9: the communion of saints, 10: the forgiveness of sins, 11: the resurrection of the body, 12: and life everlasting.

Well, it feels kind of funny to be closing this one today. It's been a great adventure and I've enjoyed sharing some of myself along with the graphics. Thanks for sticking with me on our journey through the 12 Days of Christmas!

You can nab the drummer on 4shared or Box until 10 Jan 2011.

On the 11th Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

eleven pipers piping...

...nine ladies dancing

eight maids a milking

seven swans a swimming

six geese a laying

FIIIIVE GOLDEN RIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS

four colly birds

three French hens

two turtle doves

and a partridge in a pear tree!

Wow, only one day left! Thanks for staying with me through eleven days of one of the most mysterious songs of all time! For today's download I wasn't sure what kind of pipe the song meant for the piper to be piping. I did some quick google searches and most graphics had the pipers playing a flute like instrument. That was ok, but I kind of got the urge to make some bagpipes. So the download contains one flute player and one bagpipe player. You can use the one you like and duplicate him eleven times if you really want eleven pipers on your layout for some reason! Hehe. I'm hoping maybe someone out there has traveled or lives in Scotland and finds this guy useful!

So what does eleven mean in the song? Well, the research says that eleven stands for the eleven faithful disciples who were left after Judas killed himself. That could be. My only problem with that theory is that the eleven disciples replaced Judas with Matthias in Acts 1, but I guess it's still a valid theory. So, minus Judas, the eleven remaining disciples were Simon who was called Peter, Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, John his brother; Phillip and Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; and Simon the Cananaean.

You can pick up the pipers at 4shared or Box until 10 Jan 2011.

On the 9th Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

nine ladies dancing...

eight maids a milking

seven swans a swimming

six geese a laying

FIVE GOLDEN RIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS

four colly birds

three French hens

two turtle doves

and a partridge in a pear tree!

Today's download includes nine ballerinas for you to play with. Nine represents the fruits of the spirit, found in Galatians 5:22, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. The fruits are a result of our passion for God and following Jesus. And unlike the spiritual gifts, we're expected to have ALL the fruits of the spirit, not just some of them. Just like an apple tree is expected to bear apples, our lives are expected to be defined by these characteristics. If you find yourself missing one or more of the fruits, ask God to show you how to "cultivate" it in your life. He is the ultimate gardner! :) You can download the ballerinas on 4shared or Box.

On the 8th Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

eight maids a milking...

...seven swans a swimming

six geese a laying

FIIIIVE GOLDEN RIIIIIIIIIINGS

four colly birds

three French hens

two turtle doves

(sing it with me now)

and a partridge in a pear tree!

Ok, so I might be crazy, but this download actually has eight maids and one cow! I couldn't help myself! They were just so stinkin cute, and I HAD to have a cow! So has anyone started trying to figure out what the days represent? Can you guess what there are eight of? If you said eight Beatitudes give yourself a cookie! The Beatitudes are known as the "Blessed are" passage, or attitudes you should have as a follower of Jesus. These were taught directly from Jesus during the sermon on the mount, found in Matthew 5:3-12. I'm going to take the liberty of typing out the entire passage, because I think it's worth reading the whole thing. There's the attitude, and then why it's blessed. So I want to share this one in its entirety.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Be encouraged! Some of these don't seem like emotions you want to feel, but Jesus gives us hope for how we will overcome hardships. As you enter 2011 I hope you will lean on the power of our Creator for your strength and hope! You can pick up your milk maids on 4shared or Box (2 downloads) here and here. Links will be available until 10 Jan 2011.

On the 7th Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

seven swans a swimming...

... six geese a laying

fiiiiive gold-en RIIIIIINGS.....

four colly birds

three French hens

two turtle doves

and a partridge in a pear tree!

Whew! Last day of birds! I gotta say though, I really loved making the swans! I think they are one of the most majestic creatures on Earth! I was having trouble with the white felt again so I went looking for a felt style to buy, and I came across an AWESOME one! If you are a designer and need a good felt action, check this one out. So, why did my true love give seven swans? I'll let you in on a little secret. My favorite number is seven. If I am ever asked to pick a number between 1 and 10, the first number I'll pick is seven. In Christian numerology the number seven represents God's perfection, or spiritual completeness. In the 12 Days of Christmas research, seven swans represent the seven spiritual gifts that are listed in Romans 12. They are prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and compassion.

(1 Corinthians 12 has a list of gifts too. They are similar but are listed as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues.)

The point in both passages is that God gives different gifts to each believer and that it is our different gifts that make the body of Christ complete. If we all had the same gift we would miss out. And because they are all necessary none are more important than any other, even though we sometimes like to think so. So by being part of a body of believers and by exercising your gift, you help make the body complete as the number seven represents. Pretty exciting stuff right?!?

I hope you enjoy the swans, and the beautiful spiritual gifts God has given us!

Pick up the download at 4shared or Box. Download available until 10 Jan 2011.

On the 6th Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

six geese a laying...

fiiiiiive golden riiiings

four colly birds

three French hens

two turtle doves

and a partridge in a pear tree!

In Genesis 1 it says that God created everything about our planet and He said it was good. Then He made us, and He said it was very good. Some scholars believe that when it says "God said..." that actually the word in Hebrew would be better translated "God SANG..." I think that's beautiful. As an artist I find this to be one of the most exciting qualities of God. Anyway, He took six days to complete His creation and that could be what the "six geese a laying" represent on day six - the birth of our planet. Find your download on 4shared or Box. Links will be available until 10 Jan 2011.

On the 5th Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

fiiiiive gooooolden riiiiiings!

four colly birds

three French hens

two turtle doves

and a partridge in a pear tree!

In our journey through the song, the five golden rings stand for the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch. Did you know that the early Jews had to memorize the entire five books? Before it was available to every individual in print, audio, or as an iPhone app it was shared orally and memorized. The first five books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. They present the early history of the faith, the old covenant, and the whole reason we need Jesus! This download includes five fun versions of the golden ring. Hopefully one of these rings will work for your layout. :) You can grab it on 4shared or Box.

On the 4th Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

four colly birds...

three French hens

two turtle doves

and a partridge in a pear tree.

According to a few websites the modern version of the fourth day that says "calling birds" might have been mistranslated from "colly birds," which is an old English nickname for a blackbird. That could be, since I can think of at least one other rhyme that refers to blackbirds. Well, some believe that the difference between calling and colly might debunk the Christian theory of the song. The theory being if it's calling birds it represents the four gospels. I don't know why colly birds would force it to NOT represent them though... I mean if French hens can represent faith, hope, and love, why can't blackbirds represent the gospels? I think it's more about the number. Well, anyway, the four gospels are the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and they all tell the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, from four different points of view.

Download from 4shared or Box.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas

my true love gave to me

three French hens...

...two turtle doves

and a partridge in a pear tree.

Here's yesterday's French hens. You may have noticed from yesterday's turtle dove that there was only one dove in the zip. I hope you will understand that sometimes I will only include the graphic once and you can duplicate it how ever many times needed. That won't be the case for every file, but if there are no major differences needed I'll only include it once. So for this download there is one hen, and you can "clone" her to make three. Get it? Clone? Hehe. :)

So what do the three French Hens represent? Well, according to this tradition we're looking at, the three French Hens represent the three virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love from 1 Corinthians 13:13. But I wonder if they could also represent the trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

You can download from 4shared or Box. Thank you Jody for the recommendations! Please let me know which download works best for you.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas...

... my true love gave to me

two turtle doves...

...and a partridge in a pear tree.

I'm so glad that you all are excited to get the downloads and hear what the strange lyrics may represent! I wanted to remind you that no one knows exactly what the song's origins are, so the meanings I'm listing here are just one theory. But it's the theory I liked the most and it's my blog! :)

So according to this tradition, the two turtle doves represent the two testaments that the Bible is broken into. The first being the old covenant with Abraham, and the second being the new covenant with Jesus the Messiah.

So enjoy the download! You can click the image or here.

On the 1st Day of Christmas...

...my true love gave to me

a partridge in a pear tree!

In Germany families put up their Christmas decorations a few days before Christmas and then leave them up until 3 Kings Day, or Epiphany. The song "The 12 Days of Christmas" refer to the time between Christmas and Epiphany.

I was doing some research to see when the days start (on the 25th or 26th) and I found a website with a discussion about what each of the days in the song means. According to Catholic tradition the song was a mnemonic device to teach the catechism to kids. While the meanings proposed by tradition may not be the real origin of the song, I really loved the ideas and wanted to share each day with you here. So, there will be a freebie each day representing the "gift" given on that day and a Christian explanation of that day.

So... A partridge in a pear tree refers to Jesus the Messiah being the ultimate gift and a protector of His people. The scripture reference to support this theory is Luke 13:34, "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ."

Click here or the image above to download today's freebie.