This is a 2021 Children’s Homily reprised for 2022 as we celebrate a new year. Though we no longer gather at “zoom coffee hour,” I would love for you to send along your very own “Twelve Days of Christmas”. Email me at eecvoices@gmail.com.

It’s January 2nd, so Christmas is over, right? Wrong! Christmas is more than a day, Christmas is a season. It’s the shortest season of the church year — it lasts twelve days! A dozen days of Christmas.

It begins Christmas Eve and ends on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany when the Magi show up with those awesome gifts for the Baby Jesus.

There is that famous song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” that lists a list of outlandish gifts “my true love gave to me.” A partridge in a pear tree. Two turtle doves. Three French hens. That’s a lot of birds!

Maybe we can come up with our very own “Twelve Days of Christmas” song. Here is what I came up with. I am not sure it is singable!

On the first day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, Baby Jesus, his only son, born in Bethlehem.

On the second day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, the love of Mary and Joseph, for this baby boy.

On the third day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, Magi with three gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

On the fourth day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, four shepherds in the fields watching their flocks by night.

On the fifth day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, five Christmas carols sung by a choir.

On the sixth day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, six stockings hung by the fire.

On the seventh day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, seven windows into heaven.

On the eighth day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, eight cans of food to share with the poor.

On the ninth day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, nine kind things I can do for a friend.

On the tenth day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, ten homemade ornaments to hang on the tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, eleven loaves of bread to bake for the hungry.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me, a dozen days of Christmas all wrapped up in Epiphany.

I bet you can come up with a better twelve days than mine. Take out a piece of paper and use your imagination!

On the first day of Christmas, the Lord God shared with me _______________. Repeat eleven more times!

And bring your song to zoom coffee hour today. I would love to hear it!

Spirituality The Episcopal Church Children's Homily Christmas Clergy Epiphany Podcast The Rev. Joan L. Peacock