Those pesky days… all 12.

pigdogapples

By my calendar, as I write tonight, it is the 15th of December.  Most of you won’t read this until the 16th.  I pretty much get it uploaded by around midnight.

Either way, it is 10 or 9 days until Christmas.  There are some things I like about Christmas, and some things I don’t.  The commercialization of it has become absurd.  Black Friday Deals the week before Halloween, and such.  Decorations, everywhere, about the same time.

On the other hand, I like the fun and games of it.  Cookie making.  Elf-Yourself Videos.  Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer.  You know… Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens….
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens….

But one of the most misunderstood of them all… is by far… The 12 Days of Christmas.  First of all… they start ON Christmas Day and run until the first day of the Epiphany.  But nobody really cares, after the fact.  Once the last package has been opened, nobody gives a Hootenanny about Christmas, until next Halloween… when the sales start.

Okay … before I get lots of flaming emails… telling me how horrible I am for saying such a thing… and that you keep the spirit of Christmas in your heart all year around… and I am a numb-skull for thinking otherwise….  YOU are absolutely right.  So, here is my disclaimer and I apologize in advance.

Now.. back to the 12 Days of Christmas.  Let’s do them now, so we get everybody prepped for the actual dates.  Tonight, I will be reviewing… Days 1 through 3.

First day.. the gift is … that good old Partridge in a Pear Tree.  You have to start with some kind of gift, and I guess this is as good as any.  Although, if I had been writing the song… it would have been a Nuthatch in an Apple Tree.  Or, maybe a Woodpecker in a Honeydew Mellon Patch.

Second day…. Two Turtle Doves.  What are they exactly?  Well.. they look a lot like Mourning Doves.  But they are the European variety.  They mate for life.  And, they are called turtle doves because they are ultimately better racers than the Hare.

Third day… Three French Hens.  Not just any hens… but French Hens.  And how do you know?  Listen closely when you are in there midst…  Cluck… Aujourd’hui est une très bonne journée . Il n’y a pas de neige. Joyeux Noël.  Cluck. Cluck.

So.  There you have it. Days One through Three explained.

And that part about carrying Christmas with you all year long.  I was just joking around.  You see, I know a LOT of people who keep that sort of goodness, love, and compassion in their hearts all the time.  I see them act with kindness, in little ways, and in big ways too.

I think they are awesome.  More succinctly….  YOU, are awesome.  And some day, I want to be just like you.  With my partridge.  And my pear tree.

 

“Wherever there is a human in need, there is an opportunity for kindness and to make a difference.”    —Kevin Heath

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”   —Jean Jacques Rousseau

“We rise by lifting others.”  —Robert Ingersoll