Twelve Days of Christmas – Parodies – and other Christmas Carols

I’ll bet you thought my discussion about the Twelve Days was over didn’t you?  Not quite.  I couldn’t finish the topic without mentioning the parodies of the very popular song.

The website

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/twelve_days_of_christmas.htm

Has a number of parodies towards the bottom – be sure to check them out, I’m sure you’ll be able to relate to at least one or two of them!

Another parody I quite like is this one, which anyone who buys a turkey for Christmas may relate to.  Of course, in this case it seems to be the first day of Christmas is Christmas Eve.  

On the first day of Christmas my true love said to me
I'm glad we've bought a turkey and a proper Christmas tree.

On the second day of Christmas much laughter could be heard
As we tucked into our turkey - a most delicious bird.

On the third day of Christmas we'd friends in from next door
The turkey tasted just as good as on the day before.

On the fourth day of Christmas Gran came, she's rather old.
We finished up the Christmas pud and ate the turkey cold.

On the fifth day of Christmas outside the snowflakes flurried
But we were nice and warm inside - we ate the turkey - curried.

On the sixth day of Christmas the turkey spirit died.
The children fought and bickered and we ate the turkey - fried.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave a wince
When he sat down to dinner and was given turkey mince.

On the eighth day of Christmas the dog ran off for shelter
I served up turkey pancakes and a glass of Alka Seltzer.

On the ninth day of Christmas poor Dad began to cry
He said he couldn't stand the strain of eating turkey pie.

On the tenth day of Christmas the air was rather blue
And everybody grumbled at eating turkey stew.

On the eleventh day of Christmas the Christmas tree was moulting
Mince pies as hard as rock and the turkey quite revolting.

On the twelfth day of Christmas at last Dad smacked his lips
The guests had gone, the turkey too - we dined on fish and chips!

Now, back to the song.

In Australia, where I’m from, Christmas falls in summer and many of the traditional winter-themed Christmas Carols just don’t fit in with our weather here, so, naturally, we’ve Australianised some of the elements of Christmas to suit our country.

For example, instead of Santa’s sleigh being pulled by reindeers this far south, it’s pulled by kangaroos, as epitomised in the song, Six White Boomers (a Boomer is a colloquialism being Big White Kangaroo).  You can do a search of YouTube to find a few videos created featuring the song.

Likewise,  some of the traditional Christmas Carols have been given an Australian bent. 

For Jingle Bells Australian style go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1aYkutjXfQ

As would be expected, Australians also have changed the lyrics to the Twelve Days of Christmas.  In fact there are a number of versions of this, revolving around different Australian native animals. You should note that one of the versions (which I haven’t included here) has an emu in a gum tree – now that’s just ludicrous, and whoever created that version probably wasn’t an Australian at all because all Australians know that emus are BIG birds that don’t fly, and they certainly don’t climb gum trees!  The more popular version is a kookaburra in a gum tree. 

Version 1

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
A kookaburra in a gum tree
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Two cockatoos, and a kookaburra in a gum tree

Three parakeets.........
Four great galahs.......
Five opals black......
Six 'roos a-jumping........
Seven emus running.......
Eight koalas clinging.........
Nine wombats waddling........
Ten dingoes dashing.......
Eleven snakes a-sliding.......
Twelve goannas going.......

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Twelve goanna goin, Eleven snakes a-sliding,
Ten dingoes dashing, Nine wombats waddling,
Eight koalas clinging, Seven emus running,
Six 'roos a-jumping, Five opals black,
Four great galahs, Three parakeets,
Two cockatoos, And a kookaburra up a gum tree.

This is another version:

A kookaburra in a gum tree

2 snakes on skis

3 wet galahs

4 lyrebirds

5 kangaroos

6 sharks a –surfing

7 emus laying

8 dingoes dancing

9 crocs a-snoozing

10 wombats washing

11 lizards leaping

12 possums playing

Now as a born and bred Australian, I’m not overly happy with either of these versions by themselves.  Why?  Well wombats waddle – I’ve never seen one wash.  Snakes don’t ski, but they do slide and we have some of the deadliest snakes in the world, so they should probably be included.  Likewise crocs and sharks - yes I know there are sharks worldwide, but sharks and surfing really fits in with the Australian Christmas of being at the beach, so for me it stays!   “Lizards” are common in lots of countries and ditto for parakeets.  Cockatoos should definitely be included, and I prefer wet galahs to great galahs, because galahs really aren’t that big – they’re just normal bird-sized (certainly not as big as an emu).  Emus both lay and run so either of those options I’m happy with.  And ‘goanna going’ just sounds lame.  

You know, with the modern Australian versions all being so different, is it any wonder that we don’t REALLY know what order things were sung in the original song (see the Wikipedia discussion on the Twelve Days of Christmas – referred to in my previous blog).

Now, in keeping with the YouTube parody I included in my first blog entry about the Twelve Days of Christmas, i.e. the Twelve Pains of Christmas which occurs before Christmas, I thought I would include here an Australian version of what the twelve days might include if they happened before Christmas Day in Australia.  It doesn’t quite fit in with the traditional tune, but the authors Bucko and Champs make it work:

On the first day of Christmas a swagman at the gate

Said, Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the second day of Christmas an emu by the fence

Said, Good onya, cob

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the third day of Christmas a shearer down the shed

Said, How ‘bout the flies?

Goon onya, cob

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the fourth day of Christmas a goanna on a rock

Said, ‘it’s stinkin’ hot

How ‘bout the flies

Good onya , cob,

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the fifth day of Christmas Frank put up the sign

Total Fire Ban

Said, ‘it’s stinkin’ hot

How ‘bout the flies

Good onya , cob,

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the sixth day of Christmas a dingo by the dam

Said, I’m flat out till Chrissy

Total Fire Ban

Said, ‘it’s stinkin’ hot

How ‘bout the flies

Good onya , cob,

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the seventh day of Chirstmas Sue put up the lights

Drop in for a chinwag

I’m flat out till Chrissy

Total Fire Ban

Said, ‘it’s stinkin’ hot

How ‘bout the flies

Good onya , cob,

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the 8^th day of Christmas they called the CFA

Santa’s on a fire truck

Drop in for a chinwag

I’m flat out till Chrissy

Total Fire Ban

Said, ‘it’s stinkin’ hot

How ‘bout the flies

Good onya , cob,

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the ninth day of Christmas you should have heard the cheer

School’s out for summer!

Santa’s on a fire truck

Drop in for a chinwag

I’m flat out till Chrissy

Total Fire Ban

Said, ‘it’s stinkin’ hot

How ‘bout the flies

Good onya , cob,

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the 10^th day of Christmas y’couldn’t move in town

A madhouse up Main Street
School’s out for summer!

Santa’s on a fire truck

Drop in for a chinwag

I’m flat out till Chrissy

Total Fire Ban

Said, ‘it’s stinkin’ hot

How ‘bout the flies

Good onya , cob,

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the eleventh day of Christmas they drew the raffle prize

You little beauty!

Madhouse up Main Street
School’s out for summer!

Santa’s on a fire truck

Drop in for a chinwag

I’m flat out till Chrissy

Total Fire Ban

Said, ‘it’s stinkin’ hot

How ‘bout the flies

Good onya , cob,

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, we’ll take an early mark

Knock off till New Year

You little beauty!

Madhouse up Main Street
School’s out for summer!

Santa’s on a fire truck

Drop in for a chinwag

I’m flat out till Chrissy

Total Fire Ban

Said, ‘it’s stinkin’ hot

How ‘bout the flies

Good onya, cob,

Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, mate!

If you don’t understand what any of these words mean, feel free to add a comment and I’ll try and elucidate.

Another Australian parody that’s probably just as apt and which I only just discovered doing the research for this blog this year follows below.  If you don’t understand it, that’s okay, it’s all about types of alcohol, chiefly Australian beer (with the exception of Saki of course).   I have taken the liberty of  changing one of the beers represented by  the Xs to their proper name – Fourex represented by, you guessed it, XXXX, however Fourex by itself doesn’t fit in perfectly so I’ve altered it to a Fourex Gold……..though with the mention of Gold, perhaps we should make this the number 5 gift!

On the first Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
A blue, foam stubbie holder

On the Second Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder

On the Third Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder

On the Fourth Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
4 Fourex Golds
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder

On the Fifth Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
5 giant kegs
4 Fourex Golds
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder


On the Sixth Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
6 different six packs
5 giant kegs
4 Fourex Golds
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder


On the Seventh Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
7 pints of saki
6 different six packs
5 giant kegs
4 Fourex Golds
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder

On the Eigth Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
8 A.A. classes
7 pints of saki
6 different six packs
5 giant kegs
4 Fourex Golds
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder

On the Ninth Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
9 hours of hangover
8 A.A. classes
7 pints of saki
6 different six packs
5 giant kegs
4 Fourex Golds
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder

On the Tenth Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
10 tons of aspirin
9 hours of hangover
8 A.A. classes
7 pints of saki
6 different six packs
5 giant kegs
4 Fourex Golds
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
11 weeks of rehab
10 tons of aspirin
9 hours of hangover
8 A.A. classes
7 pints of saki
6 different six packs
5 giant kegs
4 Fourex Golds
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my True Love Gave to me,
12 months to recover,
11 weeks of rehab,
10 tons of aspirin
9 hours of hangover
8 A.A. classes
7 pints of saki
6 different six packs
5 giant kegs
4 Fourex Golds
3 Carlton midstrengths
2 VB lights
and a blue foam stubbie holder

Okay, so it wasn’t that great but certainly fits in with the idea of carousing and festivities that used to be so traditional in Olde England way back when, during the Twelve Days of Christmas.

To finish off I thought I’d end with another YouTube video I like, also about beer, but this time its Canadian, so you see, it's not just Australians who are obsessed with beer.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Song

The Twelve Days of Christmas (see previous blog) are coming to a close, but before it does let’s consider briefly the song of the same name.

Rather than repeating at length what’s written elsewhere, this blog will have various links you can check out yourself.

Let’s start with the Wikipedia  entry, but before you do, remember that Wikipedia is a public domain encyclopedia and not everything that’s on it is accurate.  However, things stated are often referenced from elsewhere and the list of elsewheres is at the bottom of each article, so it’s a good starting point. 

Now one of the theories of the origins of the song has sparked a bit of a debate – it is a modern theory that the song is written in code as a Catechism song for young Catholics – to remind them about the tenets of their faith during the Protestant Reformation, when many tried to ban all the Catholic practices.  The gifts in this instance represent the following:

1 True Love refers to God
2 Turtle Doves refers to the Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens refers to Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds refers to the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying refers to the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the sacraments
8 Maids A-milking refers to the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing refers to the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping refers to the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming refers to the points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

The website http://www.crivoice.org/cy12days.html goes into more detail about what each of these means.

I found the opinions expressed on the following three sites quite interesting in relation to this discussion.  You should read then yourself – they’re only short – to see the context of the paragraphs I’ve quoted.

Firstly:-   http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/music/12days.asp 

On this page, it’s pointed out that the tenets of the Anglican Church and the Catholic church are pretty much the same, so the suggestion that the Catholics use the song to remember their rites because they couldn’t commit anything to writing in England about them during the time of the reformation seems to me, at least, to be somewhat flawed, especially as they’re pretty much the same between the two churches.

The site does suggest, in passing, that perhaps it was a song that was developed by Christians who could not openly practise their faith in societies where it was forbidden.  Keep this in mind for the moment.

Secondly:-  http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/christmaslore/a/12_days_of_christmas_meaning_3.htm

This site puts forward another explanation that states the song is one about love and fertility because of the symbols used in it – see the extract below:

Far from finding any religious significance in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," some scholars, including University of Massachusetts classics professor Edward Phinney, argue that it's first and foremost a love song. "If you think of all the things being presented," he said in a 1990 newspaper interview, "you realize they're all gifts from a lover to a woman. Some of them are rather impossible to give, like eight maids a milking and nine ladies dancing. All those ladies and dancing and pipers and drums imply this is a wedding."

And then, of course, there are the decidedly un-Biblical fertility symbols — the partridge in a pear tree, for example. "The pear is equivalent to the heart and the partridge is a famous aphrodisiac," Phinney said. And how about those six geese a-laying! Seven of the song's 12 verses feature birds of various kinds, Phinney observed, all of them symbols of fertility. "The whole song seems to me to point to a festival of joy and love more appropriate to a secular holiday like Valentine's Day or May Day than a religious holiday," he said.

Thirdly:-  http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/twelve_days_of_christmas.htm

This page spends quite a bit of time on the song being a nursery rhyme or children’s game according to sources in the 1800s, though the writer makes a couple of comments I found interesting, viz:

With reference to it being a code about the Catholic catechism –

Most commentators discount this version concerning the origin of the song for the fundamental reason that the most of the elements were common to both the Church of Rome and the Church of England, and because the song probably originated in France.

In keeping with the religious connotations, however, Douglas Brice* notes that

"in folk-lore the pear is an emblem of fertility and the partridge an emblem of the Evil One". He also notes that the pipe and drum  have always been regarded as symbolizing the harmonious relationship between the good Christian and his Creator. He concludes that "The presence of the Evil one in the genealogical tree would appear to be a reference to Man in his fallen state awaiting Redemption through the Passion of Christ."

*Douglas Brice, The Folk Carol of England (London: Herberg Jenkins, 1967)

In this case the pear and partridge mean something slightly different to what Professor Edward Phinney stated above (where the pear = heart and the partridge = aphrodisiac).

Let’s go back further though……

According to one source, [the Twelve Days of Christmas] was first mentioned as a festal tide by the eastern Father, Ephraem Syrus, at the end of the fourth century, and was declared to be such by the western Council of Tours in 567 A.D. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the song was around at that time and most likely was not, but the festival it relates to may have been, in one form or another.

As a song, Elizabeth Poston** reports that an early version dates back to a thirteenth-century manuscript in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge (B. 14. 39) entitled 'Twelfth Day'.

**Elizabeth Poston, The Second Penguin Book of Christmas Carols (Penguin: Hammondsworth, 1970)

Ah-ha!!!  Well that kind of rules out the theory that the song was BASED on the Catholic catechism BECAUSE of the Protestant Reformation.  However, it could have been adapted to serve that purpose at that time. 

And perhaps, as mentioned briefly on the Snopes website, it could have been a song created for Christians who weren’t allowed to practice their faith a long time ago – before the Roman Catholic church emerged so strongly and Christianity became the dominant religion in the world.

One last thing to quote which nicely sums up the ‘religious’ meaning of the song is the P.S. that follows the article on the topic on the Catholic Information Network, addressing the catechism idea – see http://www.cin.org/twelvday.html

P.S. It has come to our attention that this tale is made up of both fact and fiction. Hopefully it will be accepted in the spirit it was written. As an encouragement to people to keep their faith alive, when it is not easy, and when any outward expressions of their faith could mean their life. Today there are still people living under similar conditions, may this tale give them courage, and determination to use any creative means at their disposal to keep their faith alive.

So, think what you like about the song and about Christmas in general.  In the end, I believe it all comes down to the Spirit of Christmas which I’ve already mentioned here and there in this series of blogs.

Boxing Day / St Stephen's Day

The 26^th of December, the day after Christmas, is known as “Boxing Day” in Australia and a number of other Commonwealth countries, including the United Kingdom , New Zealand and Canada.  The term “Boxing Day” originated in England centuries ago, and represented the day when servants were allowed to take the day off to spend with their families.  It was also the day when gifts were given to tradesmen and staff for their service throughout the year. 

Nowadays in Australia, Boxing Day is predominantly a secular (i.e. non-church) public holiday and marks the start of the post-Christmas shopping sales, which generally run until New Years Eve.  Of course, everyone knows, though, that if you want to get the best bargains you have to be there when the shop doors open on Boxing Day morning, before the greatly reduced-in-price stock sells out.

Boxing Day also has religious connections though.  The 26^th December is recognised in Western Christianity as St Stephen’s Day – St Stephen being the first Christian martyr – and as St Stephens Day , it is a public holiday in many nations that are historically Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran (including Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, Germany, and Finland). 

St Stephen, if you're interested, was stoned to death around CE 34-35 by Saul of Tarsus, a zealous Jew who persecuted the early followers of Christ, but who later converted to Christianity and becomes (eventually) St Paul.  Paul preached to the Gentiles (non-Jews) about Christ and is credited with writing a large number of the epistles in the New Testament.  He was also one of the early Christian leaders and takes some credit in bringing Christianity to Rome (which is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church).

Interestingly, though, in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, Saint Stephen's feast day is celebrated on December 27.   However, to add more confusion to the issue, the Eastern Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar for its religious rites and calculating the dates of moveable feasts,  which leads “27^th December” to be the 7^th January in the Gregorian calendar (the one used prominently around the world in modern day times).

Others might recognise reference to this day in the carol Good King Wencelas  “….last looked out, on the Feast of Stephen……” 

Something else Boxing Day in modern times may be remembered for are the disasters that have occurred on or around this day and Christmas.  In 2004, there was the Boxing Day Tsunami which was triggered by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake underwater near Indonesia and killed thousands of people.

Currently, in 2010, around the world there are many examples of extreme weather and recent natural disasters including snow storms and freezing conditions in England, Europe and the United States of America; an earthquake in Iran on 21^st December; torrential rains and mudslides in South America; and aftershocks are still being felt in New Zealand after their September earthquake.

In Australia there is flooding in New South Wales and Queensland as the result of a category 1 cyclone Tara which has now dissipated.  In 1974, Cyclone Tracy devastated our northern most Capital City, Darwin, on Christmas Eve.

One of Australia’s best known poems, by Dorothea Mackellar, has a stanza that begins with:

            “I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains,

            Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains….”

In Australia, it seems to be either one extreme or the other.  In fact, Australians have been warned to expect six cyclones this summer season which will bring lots of rain and consequently more flooding.   Quite a contradiction as not so long ago, the country was in drought and local governments had introduced water restrictions.  And drought has other repercussions, namely bushfires due to the extremely dry conditions. 

Christmas Eve 2001 is regarded as the official beginning  of an outbreak of major bushfires in New South Wales, which later became known as “Black Christmas”.  Fortunately no lives were lost on this occasion, though hundreds of houses and buildings and huge tracts of land were destroyed.

Although the main fire activity ended on 7 January 2002 following heavy overnight rain around Sydney, the NSW Fire Brigades continued its operations in the South Coast region until 11 January 2002.

That fire outbreak in particular puts a whole new spin on the “Twelve Days of Christmas”, but that’s another story.

All About Rudolph and Santa's Other Reindeers

Maybe it's the undeniable alliterative appeal of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that makes him the most known or popular of all Santa's nine flying reindeers.  It certainly doesn't seem as easy to come up with a similar catchy description for the others - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner andBlitzen - as named in the song.

The story of Rudolph whose glowing red nose made him a standout, first appeared in 1939 when Montgomery Ward department stores distributed about 2.4 million booklets with the poem in the form of a story about "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." It was written by Robert L. May, who worked in the store's advertisement or marketing department, to be used to attract more people into the store. When the booklet was reissued in 1939, sales soared to more than 3.5 million copies. But it wasn't until a decade later, in 1949, that the story really gained immense popularity when Gene Autry sang a musical version of the fable.As a Christmas song, it is second only in popularity to 'White Christmas.' 

Rudolph, the ninth reindeer whose lighted nose guides Santa's sleigh through the night, is now known worldwide, as the song has been translated into more than 20 different languages and an animated television movie has also been based on the story. Rudolph and his noticeable nose have also become the subject of jokes and sparked more interest in reindeers which has led to much research into Santa and the flying reindeers who pull his sleigh through the sky.

Along with the catchy rhythm of the lyrics, Rudolph's story is also appealing because of the moral lessons it contains. As the story goes, Rudolph was ostracized by the other reindeers, who laughed and teased him about his shiny red nose. But on a foggy night, when Santa must have been concerned that he may not be able to deliver his Christmas gifts around the world, Santa spotted him and kindly asked if he would step to the front as the leader to 'guide my sleigh tonight.' His shiny red nose would, after all, be very useful in lighting the way, Santa thought. From then on 'all of the other reindeers loved him,' and rightly predicted that he 'would go down in history.'

Among the moral lessons the story can impart is that an attribute that is perceived as negative or as a liability can be used for a positive purpose, or become an asset. It also makes the point that an individual should not let the negative behavior of others define him or her and limit expectations of what can be achieved. And it also illustrates how quickly opinions and attitudes about a person can change.

The question still lingers, however ,of where Rudolph came from. He is commonly regarded as the son of Donner (or Donder), one of the original eight reindeers. But the Snopes.com site rejects this however, saying that he dwelled in a reindeer village elsewhere and it was there that he was seen by Santa who had already started on his Christmas Eve journey to deliver gifts. And in a more modern evolution of the story according to Wikipedia.com, an animation by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) introduced a son, named Robbie, of Rudolph. That son has now become the tenth reindeer.

It's also interesting to note that the idea of Santa's sleigh being pulled by reindeers was originated in the poem, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas.' That poem tells the story of St. Nicholas, who is Santa, calling his eight tiny reindeers by their names, as previously mentioned, just before he came down the chimney of a house to start filling the stockings from a sack full of toys he carried on his back.

Entertaining Kids With Christmas Crafts

Everyone remembers how difficult it was as a kid to be patient during the weeks before Christmas. There was just too much excitement about presents and candy and having fun with friends; well what was a kid to do? Here are some quick and easy craft ideas to help you entertain your kids during the pre-Christmas season this year.

Christmas Cards

Instead of spending a lot of money buying commercial Christmas cards in the store, how about having your kids make Christmas cards to send out to family and friends? Cards are easy to make and can be done using craft material you can find around your home or purchase inexpensively in a local craft store. Here are some card ideas to get you started:

Photo Christmas Cards

Use photos you already have or take some specifically for the cards. These are great for grandparents, aunts and uncles because they love seeing updated pictures of the kids. Use card stock or construction paper for the card and cut out a rectangle, square, or circle in the middle of the front of the card. Lay a favorite photo of the kids on the inside over the cutout so that the photo shows through on the front of the card. Decorate the card with holiday stickers and crayon drawings from the kids and you have a winning card that anyone would treasure. Make sure you remember to place a poem or short holiday greeting on the inside of the card.

Treat Cards

Use cardstock or construction paper to make the card and then find some winter scenes from an old magazine. Paste or glue the scenes on the front of the card. On the inside of the card tape an envelope of hot chocolate drink mix, dry soup mix envelope or a tea bag to the inside of the card. Write a warm greeting and place some XXX000 (Kisses and Hugs :-) and the child's name.

Wreaths

Wreaths are special at Christmas time because they celebrate the circle of friendship. Make this season special around your home by decorating the doors with special holiday wreaths.

Cereal Wreath
Take a white paper plate and have the kids paint with green non-toxic paint all around the outer edge of the plate (if no edge have them paint like an inch or two in). Once the plate is dry have them cut out the inner circle of the plate.

Have on hand colored cereal in different shapes. Glue the cereal pieces to the green part of the plate. Now attach a big red bow to the bottom of the plate and you have a beautiful handmade cereal wreath to display on one of your doors.

Card Wreath
Take a large piece of cardboard and draw a circle. Now cut out the circle and draw another circle in the middle so that you leave at least 6" all around the outside of the circle. This is your wreath.

Now go get all those old Christmas cards you have stashed away in the attic from last year, and the year before, and the year before that. Have the kids go through this pile of old Christmas cards and pick out their favorites. Line them up so they encircle the wreath side by side. You can overlap the cards for a great affect. Now glue the card backs to the wreath where you want them until the entire wreath is covered with Christmas cards. Attach a holiday bow and you have a fantastic wreath for your home.

What better way to remember what your child wants for Christmas then to make a Christmas Wish List Tablecloth? They are fun for the kids to make and very useful for Santa when it comes to making those special gifts appear.

Christmas Wish List Tablecloth
Purchase a white plastic tablecloth at the store and make sure you have plenty of non-toxic markers on hand. Place the cloth on the table or floor and give the kids the markers. Tell them to draw pictures of what they want for Christmas or if they are older have them actually write out their list (in great detail), this should keep them busy for a while and you will end up with a Christmas craft you will treasure for years.

Interesting Facts About Christmas

It is an accepted fact that the Christmas tree tradition is one that was brought to the shores of America by German immigrants who continued a practice that was popular in their former homeland. Today, a Christmas tree, even a miniature one, is present in just about every home at Christmas. It is therefore interesting to note some little-known facts about the Christmas Tree and other traditions related to Christmas.

The first interesting fact is the source of real Christmas Trees for some Americans. These can be bought at a Christmas Tree Farm or at many local stores and other places of business in just about every town and city across the country around Christmas time. But according to the National Christmas Tree Association, Americans buy about 330,000 Christmas trees that are real through e-commerce or from a catalogue and have them shipped by mail-order.

The scent of real Christmas trees is the reason they are so popular. But as they stand silently in their decorative wonder, they also are providing another benefit. The Christmas Tree Association says the amount of oxygen produced on a daily basis by one acre of Christmas trees is enough to provide enough oxygen for18 people. And during the first week, a Christmas Tree at home will use up to one quart of water each day to help retain its longevity for the many days of Christmas.

Since Christmas celebrations gained popularity in America, the Christmas Tree has always been a big tradition. During the 1950s however, artificial Christmas trees were not always green. It was very popular during those times to have artificial trees with other colors such as silver, pink and aqua. The appeal in having these colored Christmas trees may have been due to the fact that they looked shiny and bright and appeared like tinsel instead of green foliage. 

An important ceremony related to the Christmas tree that gains national attention in the U.S.A. during the Christmas season is the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House. This tradition can be credited to President Calvin Coolidge who lit the first decorated Christmas tree outside at the White House in 1923.

The lighting of the National Christmas Tree has also been used to convey some symbolic meanings not related to Christmas. It was not lighted until Dec. 22 in 1963 because of a national mourning period of 30 days for the assassination of President Kennedy.

And while Teddy Roosevelt was President he gave an order that banned the Christmas tree from the White House, not for the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, which caused him to become president, but for reasons related to the environment. 

Also of note is that when the National Christmas Tree was lit on Dec. 13 in 1984, temperatures were in the 70s (fahrenheit) during an unusually warm December.

Christmas has been celebrated in the United States since the 1600s although it wasn't always very popular. It took more than two centuries into the mid-late 1860s for Christmas to become a popular holiday season all across America.

So maybe the rest of the country owes the holiday of Christmas Day to the state of Alabama, which in 1836 became the first state to declare Dec. 25 a legal holiday.  To show how far ahead of the game Alabama was, it wasn't until June 26, 1870 that the federal government declared Christmas as a federal holiday.

Although Christmas is based on the Christian religion, not all Christian groups celebrate the season. Among the Christian groups who do not celebrate Christmas and related traditions such as sending greeting cards are Jehovah Witnesses. Jehovah Witnesses and other non-participating Christian groups say Christmas isn't specifically mentioned in the Bible as a time or reason to celebrate and since they strictly adhere to the word of the Bible, they refuse to celebrate Christmas.

Make Your Own Christmas Cards

If you are on a real tight budget this Christmas or just love to be crafty during the holidays here are some wonderful homemade Christmas card ideas for you to try this holiday season.

Potato Stamp Cards

Supplies you will need for your homemade Christmas Cards:

• Paper Bags or Craft Paper
• Potatoes or Sponges
• Paint or colored ink
• Ribbons
• Hole Punch
• Ink Pen
• Paring Knife (adult supervision)
• Plastic Plate
• Scissors

Step #1 - Check to see if you can find any left over envelopes. You can look in old Christmas card boxes or the drawer where mom or dad pays the bills (ask first). If you find any unused envelopes you can use them and you will need to be sure that the cards you make will fit inside these cards.

Step #2 - Measure the envelope (if you didn't find any have mom or dad buy some for you).

Step #3 - Cut out the brown paper bag to be the same height as the card but twice as wide as the card.

Step #4 - Cut the potatoe in half with an adult helping.  Cut out a Christmas tree shape on the exposed side of the potato (white not the skin).  Cut away potato from the outer edge of the tree that surrounds the tree. You can use three potatoes to cut out different sizes of trees.

Step #5 - Put the paint or ink onto the plastic plate.  Dip the Potato Tree into the paint or ink, now place it on what will be the front of your card (one tree or you can make a group of trees).

Step #6 - Make two holes with the hole punch about a centimeter apart below the Christmas tree.

Step #7 - Insert one end of the ribbon through the left hole, and then put it through the other hole. Loop each end around back and through the opposite hole. Now, pull the ribbon out the front of the card. Tie the ribbon into a pretty Christmas bow.

Step #8 - Use the scissors to trim the ribbon. You can stamp more trees on the inside or write a holiday greeting.  You can also place Christmas stickers on the card or place crayon ornaments on the trees.
You can also decorate the envelopes too. Use the sponge instead of the potato or buy stamps in the store.

Easy Construction Paper Cards

Every child knows how to make Christmas cards out of construction paper. You just fold a piece of construction paper in half. Decorate the one outside half like the front of a Christmas greeting card and write a greeting on the inside of the card. Use Christmas colors (green, red, purple). Use Christmas stickers to decorate the cards if you wish.

Left Over Christmas Cards

If your family saves old Christmas cards ask if you can use them to make new cards.

You will need the old Christmas cards, construction paper, glue, pen, crayons or markers, and scissors to make these homemade cards. 

Sort through the pile of old Christmas cards to find the front of your homemade card. Once you find one you like, cut the front off the old card. You can use parts and not the entire front if you like. You can also use more than one old card to make a different picture.

Fold the construction paper in half.  Glue the old card picture onto the front of your construction paper card.

Using the pen, crayons or marker add to the picture, or draw new pictures to go with the old card picture.
Write a holiday greeting on the inside of the card with your pen. You can copy greetings from the old cards.