I am hosting a Christmas party in a few days and there are twelve adults attending. When I was thinking about what theme to do for the tablescape, I couldn’t help but think of the Twelve Days of Christmas.
What a fun theme for a table of 12!
Although a very lonnnnnnng song (my daughter and I sang the entire thing on the way to her music lessons yesterday), the Twelve Days of Christmas gifting tradition means a lot to me!
As a kid, I would secretly deliver a gift to a few elderly women in our neighborhood each year for the 12 Days before Christmas.
Sometimes, my siblings would help and my parents would contribute. Other times, I earned the money and did it on my own.
One single elderly woman, Ardell, threatened to shoot me if she caught me trespassing over her land again. I was just taking a shortcut to a friend’s house in the middle of the day. When she was screaming at me, my 13-year-old heart was pricked in sympathy. I thought to myself, ‘Wow, that lady just needs some love and cheer’.
So, for 5 years, I very secretly and stealthily delivered the Twelve Days of Christmas themed gifts to her.
On the last Christmas, before my moving out to go to college, I wrote her a note announcing that I would be visiting her on Christmas Eve (just a giving her a heads up so I wouldn’t get shot—hahaha).
Surprisingly, she welcomed me with a hug and told me that for the past five years she actually looked forward to and enjoyed Christmas instead of dreading/hating—mainly because of the daily surprises she found at her door.
I visited her as often as I could after we officially met… until she passed away.
I remember one day going to Ardell’s nursing home and while visiting her, I thought to myself, “If there were no Twelve Days of Christmas gifting tradition, I would not have this friend”.
I’ve continued this tradition on and off throughout the years and it has taught me that there is true joy in giving.
If you are thinking of doing the 12 Days for someone, I have multiple posts of ideas of what to give for each of the Days here.
And while I am not finished with this tablescape as I am still working on the chair wreaths and some final details, I love the way it is coming together… and so apparently do our elves.
Pepper Mint and Winter Mint, our elf siblings are lovingly cuddling the two turtle doves on the centerpiece of the table.
Doves stand for love, peace and devotion so it was fitting that they were hugging them.
They are wearing matching hoodies.
With little pom pom tassles.
It blended in so well with the Twelve Days of Christmas tablescape that my youngest had a really hard time finding them!
I wish they would just stay put for the dinner party but they’ll be elsewhere tomorrow.
For the supplies that I think they used… they were both wearing little hoodies that I think were probably sweater ornaments found at a craft store.
The rest was just using the tablescape I am creating. I’ll be posting in detail about what I used for this tablescape once it is complete. Please check back in a few days for those details if interested.
Here is a fun fact. The meaning of the Two Turtle Doves in the song, are The Old and New Testaments. Isn’t that fitting when coupled with the symbolism of love, peace and devotion?
Thanks, Pepper and Winter Mint!
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