12 Days of Christmas

One of our traditions has been to do the twelve days of Christmas to someone.  We haven't always done it.  When PC is gone during Christmastime I don't always want the responsibility of dropping off something every day with the kids.  This year, though, we decided to go ahead with it.  Funny thing was, soon after we got back from dropping our gift off, we heard our own doorbell ring and found that the "Christmas Elves" had started doing it to us!  What fun! The kids loved trying to catch whoever it was leaving us gifts.  They did get some glimpses, but we never did discover who it was.  When we do it, we don't follow the song, but our Christmas Elves did and it was so fun! 
I didn't want to forget them, so I kept them all and thought I'd put them here.
"It's the 1st day of Christmas, oh yes, it is true,
And we, the Christmas Elves, are thrilled to bring our gifts to you,
A partridge in a pear tree is cute and pretty neat,
But we think some juicy pears are an even better treat."
"Now Turtle Doves are birds and are messy, it's true.
And we're nice elves, and couldn't do that to you.
So we thought a proper way to give you a dove,
Would be the chocolate kind, the kind you would love."
"Day #3 is French Hens (what's with all the birds?)
Who wrote this song, a bunch of big nerds?
Who wants three hens and all of that lot,
When Chicken soup is a breeze and will hit the spot?!"
"Four Calling Birds could get loud, oh boy!
And we didn't think all your neighbours would enjoy...
But we thought an ornament of a bird might be,
Just the perfect thing to hang on your tree."
"Five golden rings would sparkle in the light,
Sure would be pretty, but costly alright!
We love you, but that's a bit much,
So we thought golden coins would be a nice touch!"
"Six geese-a-laying (we're back to those birds?!)
We tried stealing their eggs, but their cries could be heard.
So we gave up and went to the store,
These eggs won't hatch, but don't drop them on the floor. :)"
"Seven swans a swimming, yikes, that would be cold,
But goof for the circulation or so we've been told.
The swans have all flown south and couldn't be got,
But fish are swimmers too, and Swedish ones are hot!"
"Eight maids-a-milking, what a taxing chore,
After all that work, we're sure they'd want to snore.
So we won't give you the maids, but what about the dairy,
Here's some tasty Milk Duds, now go and be merry!"
"Nine ladies dancing, late into the night,
With all the twirling around, it must have been a sight.
We know that they were tired, and put up their feet,
And sipped a hot cup of cocoa, the perfect late night treat!"
"Ten lords a leaping would be an awesome gift,
But they got stuck jumping through a white snowdrift.
We had to be content to give cookies with frosting,
All that jumping and leaping must be so exhausting!"
"Eleven pipers piping, oh, how they hurt our heads.
It gave us such a headache, we had to go to bed.
Music should be soothing, a listening pleasure,
So here's a CD for you to treasure."
"12 drummers are drumming, on this 12th day,
And we, the Christmas Elves, would just like to say,
We hope we've brought you some holiday cheer,
So have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"
I thought they were so cute following the song and you can tell what we received each day.  For ours, I found a lot of different ideas for gifts and made up little poems to go along with it.  Here is what we did:

It’s the FIRST day of Christmas,
And we are getting hoppin,”
We dropped this off to say,
“May your holidays be poppin’!” (We gave them a tin of popcorn.)

It’s the SECOND day of Christmas.
May your days be happy, your heart be light,
Your Christmas merry and the New Year bright! (candle set)

Now it is day number THREE,
And you’re getting “MUFFIN” for Christmas. (muffin mix)

On the FOURTH day of Christmas:
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed and tripped on this 'platter'!
Merry Christmas! (Christmas platter)

It’s the FIFTH day of Christmas,
We hope you are not freezin’!
We just wanted to wish you
A “SOUPER” holiday season! (soup)

It’s the SIXTH day of Christmas,
Here’s something nice and hot.
To warm you up and let you know,
That you are loved a lot!  (hot chocolate)

The SEVENTH day of Christmas,
Here is some bread for you,
And no matter how you slice it,
We wish you a happy day too! (banana bread)

It’s the EIGHTH day of Christmas,
You deserve the best. . .
. . . a present unlike all the rest.
We considered a new car or exotic cruise,
but decided on something you could really use!
Finally we found a gift to admire,
We hope you like your new washer and dryer!
Happy Holidays! (dish towel and rag)

It’s the NINTH day of Christmas.
We say thanks for all you do.
We want to let you know,
That we are “NUTS” about you! (mixed nuts)

It’s the TENTH day of Christmas.
We hope you can blot out your troubles,
And absorb the Christmas spirit! (paper towels)

On the ELEVENTH day of Christmas,
We hope you have a PASTA-tively wonderful holiday! (pasta and sauce)

On the TWELFTH day of Christmas,
These cookies we bring to you,
Wishing you the merriest of Christmases,
And a Happy New Year too!
On the last day we took cookies and sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."  I like for the kids to see how grateful they are for the fun things we gave them.  It was great! I'm so glad I went ahead and did it this year!