The Twelve Days of Christmas

Full version:

The first day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree.

The second day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The third day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The fourth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The fifth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The sixth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The seventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The eighth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The ninth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The tenth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The eleventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eleven ladies dancing,
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

The twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve fiddlers fiddling,
Eleven ladies dancing,
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.

A Song That Grew and Grew

If Christmas had a song that grew larger every time you sang it, The Twelve Days of Christmas would be the champion. The earliest printed version appeared in 1780, and it may even trace back to older French folk tradition. The tune we recognize today didn’t appear until 1909, when Frederic Austin arranged it — including that dramatic pause before five… golden… rings!

The song originally worked like a memory challenge: each singer had to repeat the growing list without stumbling. Miss a line? You owed a forfeit. One imagines Victorian children giggling through “eight maids a-milking” while adults shook their heads with amusement.

Many people have wondered whether the gifts have symbolic religious meanings, but historians generally dismiss that as a later theory. What we do know is that the lyrics reflect the festive season of Christmastide — twelve days of celebration ending on January 6.

And the total number of gifts? A jaw-dropping 364. Enough to fill a barn, a ballroom, and possibly the neighbor’s garden.

Silly, theatrical, and delightfully excessive — that’s exactly why the song survived.

How to Play the Memory Game

“Now then, who remembers the next verse?”

1. One person starts by singing the first line:

   “On the first day of Christmas…”

2. The next person repeats that line, and adds the second line.

3. Each new singer must repeat everything already said and then add the next gift.

4. If someone forgets a line or mixes it up — they lose that round and must do a silly forfeit.

   (Clap like a goose, bow like a butler, or say “Merry Christmas” in the funniest voice.)

5. Keep going until someone finally remembers all twelve days.