The Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas is - ostensibly - about the increasing number of unusual gifts received by a very lucky person.
The final verse lists them all:
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve lords a leaping,
Eleven ladies dancing,
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a milking,
Seven swans a swimming,
Six geese a laying,
Five gold rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
My true love sent to me
Twelve lords a leaping,
Eleven ladies dancing,
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a milking,
Seven swans a swimming,
Six geese a laying,
Five gold rings.
Four colley birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
Just like the carol The Three Ships, The Twelve Days of Christmas has inspired some beautiful artwork.
Here are two examples of cards that I like very much:
This is a seasonal postage stamp from 1977:
I have always liked this carol because of its cheerful tune and the pictures it inspires; I had no idea that it is believed to have hidden meanings:
