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12 Days of Christmas Ornaments

Sujata Iyer
Using the 12 days of Christmas ornaments is a great way to decorate your home. If you want to know what these ornaments are, read on.
On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me ...
Almost everyone is familiar with the very popular Christmas carol mentioned here. Of all the Christmas traditions, the 12 days of Christmas is the most enjoyable ones. It goes something like this. The 12 days succeeding Christmas are said to be the most festal days of the year.
The first day is on Christmas day, that is the 25th of December and the 12th day is the 5th of January. These 12 days are filled with a lot of merry making and cheer. People send gifts to one another, they join each other in distributing gifts to the poor. And on the 13th day, after all the merriment, they end it with a feast, called the Feast of Epiphany.
What came first, the tradition or the carol, is still a mystery. However, the carol has become quite the trendsetter as far as Christmas decorations are concerned. You can see numerous houses and trees decorated with ornaments referring to these days. Read more about them here.
On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree ...
As it clearly suggests here, the first Christmas ornaments to make or buy as a part of the 12 days theme is a replica of a partridge and/in a pear tree. You can either make one or buy a porcelain one from the market.
On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves ...
The second one that is a part of the set is a pair of turtle doves. This may not be easy to make, but you can definitely get exquisite ceramic or glass Christmas tree ornaments in the shape of turtle doves.
On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three French hens ...
The third member of this set is three French hens. You can make them out of straw or paper. Or you can make glass and beaded Christmas ornaments in their shape.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four calling birds ...
They'll look pretty. You could add a button that will make them chirp when touched.
Calling birds are oh-so-pretty! This year, get them as pets and enjoy their chirping all day long. If you're not a bird person, just get some gorgeous photos turned into ornaments and hang them on the tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Five golden rings ...
Five golden rings! What a perfect ornament for the Christmas tree. Get them in sets and hang them together on branches. Buy a really big set of five golden rings and incorporate them in a wreath to hang at the door.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying ...
Just imagine a collection of 6 pristine geese in smooth porcelain. Or six geese made of clear crystal. Wonderful right? Well, these are your 6th day gift. So get them and hang them on the tree too.
On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming ...
After the geese, it's time for the swans. Getting figurines of swans in motion is a bit difficult. But if you do, then nothing like it! They'll look perfect on the end of the drooping branch, like they're about to take flight.
On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking ...
This one's not really difficult to come by. You can even make your own dolls to resemble milkmaids. Or if you have the resources, hunt for some pretty antique milkmaid dolls and hang them on your tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing ...
Dancing ladies in a set of nine! May sound impossible, but it's not. If the stores are all out of the figurines, you can always use your creativity to make them using simple things like wire, card paper, and beads.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping ...
If you've made the nine dancing ladies, then making their male versions shouldn't be a problem. Instead of using card paper that you used for the dresses, you can sew tiny shirts and trousers. Or you can just staple pieces of cloth in such a way that they resemble them.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping ...
This one could be tricky to make. So, it's recommended that you purchase them. Since it involves elaborate detailing of pipers, you may not be able to finish them in time, given that Christmas is so close at hand. Nonetheless, you can always begin to make them this year and use them next year.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming ...
These are the cutest ones of the set. Just the thought of 12 little men walking around, drumming their drums ferociously and in perfect rhythm makes you go all warm and fuzzy inside. Well, you can have them drumming and hanging from your Christmas tree as well to complete the set of the 12.
If you buy or make all the things here, your set of 12 days of Christmas ornaments will be complete. You can either buy an entire set together, or you can make some and buy some. You can also have them specially designed and converted into personalized Christmas ornaments by a trusted artist. So enjoy your decoration and have a very merry Christmas!