In the midst of all the birds flying, or swinging , through the Twelve Days of Christmas, we have five gold rings. These rings are said to represent the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, which give us a huge chunk of the backstory that ended up bringing Christ to the world.

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy tell the story of God creating the world and us humans, our fall into sin, and God’s work to make a way to save us out of that sin. For me, this story overwhelms me with proof of how very much God loves us and wants us in His life. He goes out of His way to make a way, create a loophole, to provide the means for us to be a part of His Kingdom.

Fittingly, the six geese a laying stand for the six days of Creation. Situated directly in the middle of the Twelve Days, they serve to remind us of the very foundational truth of our faith, that all we know was created by Him who loves us so much. This place we call home exists because of all that God is: Love, beauty, grace, and mystery.

The feasts for these two days are for more obscure saints, St. Thomas Becket, who challenged the kings authority over the church, and St. Egwin of Worcester, who is worth reading about on Wikipedia. I’m not Catholic, but I do find much to be learned from reading about these traditions and those whom they celebrate.

More and more I am understanding how the Twelve Days of Christmas are meant to truly honor Christ and bring His Light further into our world.