The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 6

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: six geese a-laying!
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

The six geese allude to the six days of creation, to the gift of new life, although what God would call a day is not exactly 24 hours by our standards.

My fantasy version:

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: six flying horses!
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

A flying horse, better known as a Pegasus, is a creature blessed with the gift of flight. With relative ease, they can travel to certain places that very few other creatures could possibly reach.

So, a Pegasus alludes to freedom, the endless opportunities spread out before us.

Happy Birthday, Christine and Christopher!

A very happy birthday to my big sister Christine and little brother Christopher, born exactly four years apart on this very day! 

Hope it's been a good one for both of ya!

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 5

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: five golden rings!
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree! 

 

In the song, the five rings represent the first five books in the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

 

This is also known as the Pentateuch, which basically summarizes the creation of man, man's fall from grace, and the wonderful mercy God extends toward man. It all goes to show how valuable something must be for someone to go to so much time and effort to not only preserve it, but make it even better.

 

 

My fantasy version: 

 

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: five magic rings!
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

 

A ring is also a well-known symbol of authority, honor, devotion, and eternity. That's why powerful rulers often sport prominent rings on their fingers, as well as why we wear rings when we get married. In J.R.R. Tolkien's case, this makes the title The Lord of the Rings particularly significant.

 

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 4

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

The four calling birds represent Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four Evangelists who spread the gospel to "the four corners" of the Earth.

My fantasy version:

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

In just about every fantasy story, trolls are depicted as none too bright, little more than savage brutes. So, you could say a troll represents what a person would be like without morals, intelligence, and basic decency.

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 3

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

 

In this particular case, the three French hens represent faith, hope, and love.

 

My fantasy version:

 

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

 

The phoenix is also a symbol of hope, rising up magnificently from the ashes of loss and devastation.

 

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 2

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: two turtle doves,

 

And a partridge in a pear tree!

 

The turtle dove is a symbol of true love and friendship. The two turtle doves in the song represent a devoted couple standing before God.

 

My fantasy version:

 

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: two forest fauns,

 

And a unicorn as white as the snow!

 

The faun is a symbol of peace and fertility. Fauns are known for their lively and festive attitude, as well as their dislike of violence and seriousness.

 

While fauns are often confused with satyrs, fauns are generally nicer and less wild and hot-blooded than satyrs. In other words, you're much more likely to make friends with a faun than a satyr.

The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 1

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a partridge in a pear tree!

 

The partridge is a symbol of wisdom, fertility, and selfless love. The partridge will gladly give its life for its children. On that account, the partridge in the song represents Jesus Christ.

 

My fantasy version:

 

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a unicorn as white as the snow!

 

In Celtic mythology, the unicorn is a symbol of purity, innocence and power. From Christianity's perspective, the unicorn is a symbol of purity and grace that could only be captured by a virgin, thus it represents the incarnation of Christ.