Storries of Three Sisters: December 2007

Merry Christmas from the Storrie clan!!

We pray that everyone is having a blessed Christmas and remembering our Lord's birth and all He has done for us! I hope that memories are being made to remember for years to come! In one of the Christmas cards we received there was a fun fact that I thought was interesting. You all may know this already but here it is if you don't! :)

Have you ever wondered why there were such strange gifts given in the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"? We recently came across an explanation. The song was written during the 16th century, a time when there was much persecution of Christians. The purpose was to teach church doctrine in code that was not easily identified. Here are some of the hidden meanings found in the lyrics:

Partridge in a pear tree - Christ on the cross
Two turtle doves - The Old and New Testaments
Three French hens - Expensive gifts brought by the wise men
Four calling birds - Four Gospels
Five golden rings - Five books of the law
Six geese - Six days of creation
Seven swans - Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Eight maids - Beatitudes
Nine ladies dancing - Fruit of the Spirit
Ten lords - Ten Commandments
Eleven pipers - Eleven apostles that spread the message of Christ (only 11 because Judas did not embrace Christ or His message)
Twelve drummers - The Apostle's Creed (includes 12 points of doctrine)
My True Love - God is our first and only True Love

I'm not sure where they found this and how accurate it really is but it was still interesting. Well, I have lots of pictures to post from the past couple of weeks but right now the painting project is calling me (or my brother and sister who would like my help:)!

A very merry Christmas to you all and may your new year be filled with both blessings and challenges to draw you closer to the Lord!