"The Twelve Days of Christmas" Sing-Along with Fun Printable Pack

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Do you love the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas?” Then, you’ll enjoy today’s music lesson “The Twelve Days of Christmas” Sing-Along with Fun Printable Pack! First, learn all about the background of this popular Christmas song. Then, join my daughter and me in singing the song, download the lyric sheets so you can stay on track, and have extra fun coloring the pages!

Background of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” was first published in 1780 as a poem (without music) in London in a book called Mirth without Mischief. It’s believed to have come originally from a French rhyme or poem. Because it is so old, there are many versions of the words.

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The tune that we now typically use to sing the song is derived from a 1909 arrangement of a traditional folk melody by English composer Frederic Austin.

When exactly are the twelve days of Christmas?

Does it start twelve days before Christmas or twelve days after?

According to Wikipedia: “The twelve days in the song are the twelve days starting with Christmas Day, or in some traditions, the day after Christmas (26 December) (Boxing Day or St. Stephen’s Day, as being the feast day of St. Stephen Protomartyr), to the day before Epiphany, or the Feast of the Epiphany (6 January, or the Twelfth Day).”

Are there secret meanings hidden in the song lyrics?

There have been books and articles written that the lyrics were intended as a catechism song to help young Catholics learn their faith, at a time when practicing Catholicism was criminalized in England (1558 until 1829). This is a fun idea, but there is no proof for the claim. Here are a couple of books to read to relate “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to Christianity:

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” Sing-Along Video

Printable Pack

Purchase the 38-page printable pack for only $5 and use it as you work on today’s 15-Minute Music Lesson on “The Twelve Days of Christmas!”

Use the included lyrics sheets to sing Christmas songs with your students or family! There are 14 lyric pages for Christmas songs such as “Silent Night,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

You’ll also find 12 “The Twelve Days of Christmas” pages in color to hold up while you sing each verse. Kids love doing this! Also included are 12 “The Twelve Days of Christmas” pages to color.