It’s not yet Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday! So…why on earth am I doing a blog about Christmas? Because I feel like we all need a whole lotta kindness and I have a family tradition that’s just the ticket: The 12 Days of Christmas. It’s like the song – but better, because you’re not going to get or give “seven swans a swimming.”
The tradition started for my family when I was a young girl. We woke up one day and there was a beautiful package hung on our front door knob. Attached to it was a card with the beginning of the song…”On the first day of Christmas…” It was not signed.
We didn’t really know what to think, but we were excited!
The next day, another package arrived with another tag featuring replaced song lyrics describing the gift. And it continued, day after day.
My family tried staying up late and getting up early – but we never caught the secret Santa in the act! Our anticipation and excitement grew with each package left at our door.
And because we had no idea who was leaving them – guess what – we were nicer to EVERYONE. Not that we were ever mean…but it’s a big deal when you feel like anyone around you could be blessing your family. You bless them in return automatically.
We received our 12th Day of Christmas package and there was still NO SIGNATURE! It was torture! Who was this generous, thoughtful person? We had to know…
That night, there was a knock at our door. When we opened it, another family from the neighborhood was standing there. They began singing the 12 Days of Christmas using their replaced song lyrics.
My family was floored. We didn’t really even know them that well – but they had been so kind. Once they completed their song, we invited them in for hot cocoa and they shared how as a family, they’d started the tradition to spread holiday cheer. Each year, they picked a different neighbor in the community – and as a recipient of their gift – we were sworn to secrecy so that they could pick another neighbor the next year and stay anonymous.
It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my lifetime, and so I was thrilled when my family moved to a new neighborhood and decided to continue the tradition with us acting as the secret Santa.
And now with my own family, I’m excited to kick the tradition back up this year. I feel like my children are old enough now (ages 8 and 5) to get excited about it and learn how wonderful it feels to anonymously spread kindness and holiday cheer.
Make No Mistake. This is a serious commitment. The family you choose may very well be like mine and decide to try and stay up all night to catch you in the act. You may have to contend with barking dogs (we actually got chased one year – that was fun!). You may need to plan a get-together with the selected family solely so you can get them OUT OF THEIR HOUSE to deliver the package. But, it’s 100 percent worth it.
Here’s How It Works:
Select your recipient in advance.
It’s important to shop with them in mind. I picked a family with three children, and planned gifts accordingly (e.g., no glass/breakables and fun items like play-doh).
Select your “song lyrics.”
Obviously…so I don’t know why I’m stating it…you need X items to correlate with the Xth-Day of the song. It also helps to think of the song’s cadence in your head and write-out your gifts in such a way that it can be sung.
Remember – you’re going to SING YOUR SONG on the 12th Day!
Don’t spend a fortune.
You likely don’t buy your recipient gifts each year. You want to bless them, not overwhelm them or make them feel guilty that they didn’t do anything for you!
I’m very proud of myself for averaging $5 per day. The most expensive item was that darn box of Godiva chocolates – but I had a hard time finding the 9th Day.
My destination was the Target Holiday Shop – but I’m sure you could do even better if you shopped dollar stores, garage sales, etc. I was on a time crunch to get it all in advance so I could share with you how to do it!
To keep your budget small, think of ways to make small gifts feel bigger. For example: A wrapped box of 12 candy canes doesn’t feel very special, but add a pipe cleaner and suddenly you have cute “Reindeer Candy Canes.” Similarly, hot cocoa packets feel fancier when packed with marshmallows in a clear party favor bag and bright holiday ribbon! Or maybe that’s just me.
Customize my FREE 12 Days of Christmas PDF printable.
I created these lyric cards using clip art purchased from Creative Marketplace. I’m super excited at how they turned out and hope you like them too!
The font I used for my customized lyric cards (pictured) is American Typewriter – standard on most computers. My “lyric” font size is set at 18 pts.
Each lyric card has a small gray border…you can either cut to this border OR the card is sized as such that if you cut the page in half, you have standard .5” borders all around the box. (The PDF Download is located at end of this post!)
Set your start date.
Did you know the “official” 12 Days of Christmas STARTS on Dec. 25?!?
Sorry Western Churches – I’m picking my “12 Days of Christmas” to start BEFORE the holiday. And because my own family will be consumed with unwrapping presents and relaxing on Christmas Day…it’s going to end before then!
Thus, my start date will be Monday, Dec. 12 – making the 12th Day of Christmas Dec. 23.
Have FUN!
Ideally, deliver one package a night/early morning. If you miss a day – don’t STRESS. This is supposed to be fun.
One the 12th Day, deliver your package like normal, but plan to go back that afternoon/early evening with your family to SING YOUR SONG. Afterwards, explain that you’re making this a new family tradition and so they have to keep secret who was behind the 12 Days of Christmas.
If you do this, do me a favor and let me know how it goes! And for my part, I’ll be sure to share the highs and lows of my own 12 Days of Christmas adventure!
12 Days of Kindness_Blank(originally published on LifesETC.com 11/17/16)