Is That It?


The Twelve Days of Christmas is not just a cute children’s song. Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, were not allowed to practice their faith by law – private or public or written. It was a crime to BE a Catholic which could get you put in prison, hanged, or drawn and quartered-a brutal practice.

To teach the children about their faith, they developed a secret code through this children’s song. Each verse was a symbol for important parts of Catholicism.

True love represents God Himself.

The first day of Christmas my true love gave to me-a partridge in a pear tree. The partridge is God. This particular bird is willing to die to protect its young by pretending to be injured to lure the danger away from their babies.

The second day of Christmas my true love gave to me-two turtle doves.

  1. The Old Testament
  2. The New Testament

The third day of Christmas my true love gave to me-three french hens.

  1. faith
  2. hope
  3. love

1 Corinthians 13:13  Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

The fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me-four calling birds-the four gospels.

  1. Matthew
  2. Mark
  3. Luke
  4. John

The fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me-five golden ringsthe first five books of the Old Testament.

  1. Genesis
  2. Exodus
  3. Leviticus
  4. Numbers
  5. Deuteronomy

The sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me-six geese a’laying-the six days of Creation.  

  • Day 1: The heavens, the earth, light and darkness
  • Day 2: Heaven
  • Day 3: Dry land, the seas, and vegetation
  • Day 4: The sun, the moon and the stars
  • Day 5: Living creatures in the water, birds in the air
  • Day 6: Land animals and people

Six days of creation are listed above; the seventh day was not a day of creation, but a day of rest.

The seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me-seven swans a’swimming-the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

  1. Wisdom: Being able to look at everything through God’s eyes. 
  2. Understanding: Studying the how and why of The Word, and seeing the reasons beyond those truths.
  3. Counsel: the ability to tell good from evil; to know right from wrong.
  4. Knowledge: Through our relationship to God by all His many names, we are able to learn who God is with our hearts and with our minds.
  5. Fortitude: This is the courage to stand up for what we believe, even if it means giving up our life for our beliefs.
  6. Piety: Devotion to God through reverence, worship, and behavior.
  7. Fear of the Lord:  To know that God is the Master Creator, God Almighty; Worthy of our Awe, Reverence, Respect, and Honor, as our Lord and Heavenly Father.

Psalm 33:8  Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!           

The eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me-eight maidens a’milking-the eight beatitudes.

Matthew 5:3-10

  1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
  2. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
  3. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 
  5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 
  6. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 
  7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 

The ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me-nine ladies dancing-the Fruits of the Spirit.

  1. love
  2. joy
  3. peace
  4. forbearance
  5. kindness
  6. goodness
  7. faithfulness
  8. gentleness
  9. self-control

The tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me-ten lords a’leaping-the Ten Commandments. 

Exodus 20:1-17  Good News Translation       The Ten Commandments

  1. God spoke, and these were his words: I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. Worship no god but me.
  2. Do not make for yourselves images of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth. Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the Lord your God and I tolerate no rivals. I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation. But I show my love to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my laws.
  3. Do not use my name for evil purposes, for I, the Lord your God, will punish anyone who misuses my name.
  4. Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work—neither you, your children, your slaves, your animals, nor the foreigners who live in your country.  In six days I, the Lord, made the earth, the sky, the seas, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That is why I, the Lord, blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.
  5. Respect your father and your mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that I am giving you.
  6. Do not commit murder.
  7. Do not commit adultery.
  8. Do not steal.
  9. Do not accuse anyone falsely.
  10. Do not desire another man’s house; do not desire his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns.


The eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me-eleven piper’s piping-the eleven faithful Apostles.

  1. Simon Peter
  2. Andrew
  3. James
  4. John
  5. Philip
  6. Bartholomew
  7. Matthew
  8. Thomas
  9. James bar Alhaeus
  10. Simon the Zealot
  11. Judas bar James

The twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me-twelve drummer’s drumming-the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

  1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
  2. And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord.
  3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.
  4. suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried.He descended into hell.
  5. The third day he rose again from the dead.
  7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
  8. I believe in the Holy Ghost.
  10. The forgiveness of sins,
  11. The resurrection of the body,
  12. And the life everlasting.  Amen


Is that it? Is that it? It most definitely summarizes all and more than I know about my faith and religion! I have spent days researching all the twelve symbols of this children’s song, The Twelve Days of Christmas. This is definitely not child’s play! It took imagination, knowledge, understanding, strength, faith, courage, and defiance, to create this coded song. I am convinced this was God-inspired!

Dear Lord, You always help us find a way to carry your message to others. You always know those who have the talents and abilities to persevere to the death if necessary! How scary this undertaking must have been for these writers! I know You were by their side, holding and guiding their hands as they wrote! Thank You for the many, many lives that were given so that I may know You and are able to call You Father!

Is that it?  

Yes, this is it!   Amen


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