This month, our inventory specialists have found an exceptional 12-piece set of ornaments in the Twelve Days of Christmas pattern from Lenox China! Masterfully sculpted in fine bone china, the set includes 12 different snowflake ornament shapes. Not just for the holidays, these ornaments are excellent for a variety of year-round decorative uses. This set makes the perfect gift for loved ones, sure to be saved as a family heirloom that will bring pleasant memories for years to come. 

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a carol that was made popular in England during the 17th century.  The carol tells the story of a group of grand gifts that are given by a lover on each of the twelve days between Christmas Day (December 25th) and the Epiphany (January 6th).  While we are all familiar with the lyrics of this beloved carol, including how the person singing the song receives a “partridge in a pear tree,” what we don’t often think about is that the gifts are cumulative, meaning the recipient doesn’t receive just a partridge in a pear tree but 12 of them!  By the end of the song, the person would have received a total of 12 partridges in pear trees, 22 turtle doves, 30 French hens, 36 calling birds, 40 gold rings, 42 geese, 42 swans, 40 maids, 36 ladies, 30 Lords, 22 pipers, and 12 drummers for a grand total of 364 gifts!  Additional interesting trivia regarding this song concerns the fourth and fifth lines.  In America the song is often sung, “Four calling birds,” when in fact, it was written as “Four colly birds,” which meant 'black birds' at that time.  The gold rings in the fifth verse are not actual pieces of jewelry but a reference to pheasants of the day who often had gold rings around their necks.  This reference makes the fifth line consistent with the previous four which all concern birds.  Amaze your friends and family with your in-depth knowledge of this traditional holiday carol as you decorate together this year!