Anonymous 12 Days of Christmas Nativity Version

I'm sure I am a little bias but I consider my parents to be very kind hearted. I remember as a child going with my Dad to anonymously leave an envelope of money in a mailbox for a family in need. A year or two later I remember my mom wrapping up the pieces of a nativity set to take to a family whose mother had just been diagnosed with cancer. She added little treats to each nativity piece and then my siblings and I would take turns each of the 12 nights before Christmas dropping off these little packages at the doorstep of the home, ringing the doorbell and dashing off into the night so as not to be caught. 

As I have grown older I've tried to make a very conscious effort to do something anonymously no matter how big or small to someone that is in need during the holiday season. Maybe they don't need money. Maybe it is just the simple thought of someone caring and thinking about them. 

Packages ready to go!

I remember doing the 12 Days of Christmas Nativity to a family with my sister and driving to the house each night to leave the small packages. That is a fond Christmas memory for me, both the time I got to spend with her as we giggled all the way there and back and the fact that we were caught on the last night and told by the parents how much their children had enjoyed waiting for the doorbell to ring each night. 

So big or small I hope you'll find a way to do something for someone else during the season because that is what Christmas is really all about. You don't need to have a lot of money to do it. Simple things often touch people the most, and you truly never know how much your recipient may need it.

Picture of this years Nativity

Use the 12 Days of Christmas Outline below if you'd like or come up with your own. I make variations to it each year depending on the family. This is what I'll be doing this year starting on the 13th of December. 

Needed Items:

Candy Canes

Nativity Set-mine was 10 pieces
Small cards to attach to your packages

Star ornament or popsicle sticks to make a star ornament

Candy/treats if you desire

Packaging materials for your nativity pieces

Directions:

• Make cards for each of the 12 nights to go with your pieces. Include the date of the night and the scripture you'd like them to read with your piece.

Nativity Pieces and cards waiting to be packaged.

• Package up the pieces separately, add treats if you'd like. Tie the scripture/date card to the package.

Packaged Nativity Pieces

• For the "star" night I did not have a star ornament so I made some. The family has 3 children so each child can decorate their own star and put it on their tree. Glue popsicle sticks together and add a ribbon at the top to make an ornament.

Wood popsicle stick ornaments.

• For the first night I packaged up candy canes and a small letter telling the family what was coming so they weren't confused when random nativity pieces and scriptures show up on their porch. (What I wrote is below. Use it or change it up to fit your needs.)

First Night Package for 12 Days of Christmas Nativity Version

Nativity Pieces and Matching Scripture Versus:
December 13- Candy Canes and Card

You're are such Friendly neighbors and friends, 

We wish to pass along the spirit of Christmas that we hope never ends. 

Nothing says Christmas like a little red and white….

Except for the Christmas story which will be brought to you each night.

Each package will include a scripture or two, 

Look it up, read it together, and if you do…

You'll have read the Christmas story by Christmas Day, 

And feel the true meaning of Christmas we pray.

Merry Christmas!

December 14-Joseph Figure-Luke 2:1-6
December 15-Cow Figure-Luke 2:8
December 16-Angel-Luke 2:9-14
December 17-Shephard-Luke 2:15-16
December 18-Wiseman-Mathew 2:1-2
December 19-Wiseman-Mathew 2:7-9
December 20-Star Ornaments with the following:
      Shephards were told to follow the star they would see,
      Decorate one to put on your Christmas Tree!
December 21-Wiseman-Mathew 2:11-12
December 22- Donkey and/or sheep-Luke 2:20
December 23-Mary-Luke 2:7
December 24-Baby Jesus Mathew 1:21

Good Luck and Have Fun!

Candy 12 Days of Christmas

For the past 3 years I've been wanting to do the 12 Days of Christmas for my husband. But every year I make it too hard and in the end I don't end up doing it because I'm trying to do 12 of one thing, then 11, and so on. Or I'm trying to do a gift a day which gets quite expensive and then is less money to spend on an actual Christmas present.

This year I decided to simplify and make sure I got it done. As the old saying goes.... "the best way to a mans heart is through his stomach" ha ha. Men love FOOD. So, I made up some simple rhymes to go with the candy I was using each day, made simple tags, and purchased all of the treats when I was at the grocery store. No running around for 12 separate presents. No trying to find certain numbers of things. I wrote down a list of my his favorite treats and then made the rhyme. Use the same rhyme or come up with some of your own to fit the candy item you are using. (Disclaimer- some of them are cheesy to get them to work. :))

Starting on the 13th of December I plan on leaving that days treat in a random place where he'll find it. The car, his chair, in a coat pocket, you get the idea. You could easily change this up for a friend, neighbor, or other relative. You could also do it with homemade baked goods instead of store bought. I just don't have the time to do that this year.

I've included my rhymes and some suggestions for different candy you could use if you didn't like the ones set to go with it.

Needed Items:

• Candy/Food/Drink Items
• Tags-handwritten or computer
• Ribbon to attach tags to food item

12 Days till Christmas and a treat from the MRS.

Giving you lots of HUGS AND KISSES.

 *Hershey Kisses

11 Days till Christmas and I’m grateful I can say,

You and I work together and don’t have to have it our own WAY. 

*Milky Way Candy Bar






10 Days till Christmas here is to you.

A HUGE Thank You for all you DEW! *Mountain Dew

9 Days till Christmas and I wish you would,

Know that you are looking MM good! 

*M&Ms

8 Days till Christmas and glad we met years ago,

So sad we are a bit out of shape like a plump MARSHMALLOW! J 

*Marshmallows

 (My husband and I joke about how we are out of shape... and he loves marshmallows. You may need to change this one for your needs.)

7 Days just a week to go,

Love you to PIECES-Hope you know!

6 days till Christmas enjoy a small SNACK,

While you kick back and watch the Duck Dynasty Quacks! (Snack Pack, could also use fruit snacks) (-my husband watches Duck Dynasty you could change this to "While you kick back and relax.)

5 Days till Christmas and you know what I did?

Found some time for you to spend with me and the KID! 

*Sour Patch Kids

4 Days till Christmas and nothing is BUTTER,

Then you helping around the house like no other! 

* Peanut Butter Snickers, could also do peanut butter cups, Nutter Butters, or anything with peanut butter in it.

3 Days till Christmas your work week is almost done,

ROLOn home for movies, cookies, and Christmas fun!

*ROlOS, Christmas cookies, a movie

2 Days till Christmas and what do you know!

 A treat waits for you, have an OREO! 

*Oreo

1 Day till Christmas and there is no way to measure,

 You and the tyke are my most valuable TREASURE.

*Hershey Gold Nugget Chocolates, Gold Chocolate Coins, Buck Bar

Here are all 12 in order, without the notes and candy types beside them so it is easier to read and print if you are going to use them. 

12 Days till Christmas and a treat from the MRS.

Giving you lots of HUGS AND KISSES.

11 Days till Christmas and I’m grateful I can say,

You and I work together and don’t have to have it our own WAY. 

10 Days till Christmas here is to you.

A HUGE Thank You for all you DEW! 

9 Days till Christmas and I wish you would,

Know that you are looking MM good! 

8 Days till Christmas and glad we met years ago,

So sad we are a bit out of shape like a plump MARSHMALLOW! 

7 Days just a week to go,

Love you to PIECES-Hope you know!

6 days till Christmas enjoy a small SNACK,

While you kick back and watch the Duck Dynasty Quacks! 

5 Days till Christmas and you know what I did?

Found some time for you to spend with me and the KID! 

4 Days till Christmas and nothing is BUTTER,

Then you helping around the house like no other! 

3 Days till Christmas your work week is almost done,

ROLOn home for movies, cookies, and Christmas fun!

2 Days till Christmas and what do you know!

 A treat waits for you, have an OREO! 

1 Day till Christmas and there is no way to measure,

 You and the tyke are my most valuable TREASURE.

Twelve 12 Days of Christmas Ideas

Last week we had a post on the 12 Days of Christmas about taking pieces of the nativity mixed with small gifts and giving them to a friend, neighbor, family member etc. for the 12 days of Christmas. There are so many fun things and variations of this you can do. I've put together 12 ideas from several blogs and online sights. Hopefully you can get some ideas of your own and/or use some of these below mixed with your own to make for a fun Christmas activity to do with your kids or family.

I love the idea of doing the 12 days of Christmas for someone that does not know it is you and/or for someone that needs to be remembered during the season. My family always did it as a child and my sisters and I have continued to pick a family each year and do the 12 Days of Christmas to them. Don't be discouraged if you miss a day or two. Just put two days of items together. It is still very worth your time to do it.

I hope you can find a way to make it part of your Holiday traditions. Enjoy the ideas.

12 Days of Cookies! 

A cookie a day from The Girl Who Ate Everything. Make these with your kids, give some and keep some!

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

12 Days of Christmas Kindess

As Little Lucy Lu says on her blog this will cost a little bit of money but is very worth it. You can alter it to do things that fit within your budget!

http://www.littlelucylu.com/2011/11/12-days-of-christmas-kindness.html

12 Days of Christ's Gifts To the World

You can find an item that goes with each tag or use a treat.

http://family-home-fun.blogspot.com/2011/12/christ-centered-12-days-of-christmas.html

12 Days of Christmas Journal/Book

Use this as you like. 1- Have your family do things for others each of the 12 days and at night have every family member write in it what they did that day. At the end of the 12 days you'll have a "service book" of how your family helped others this season. 2-Make the book for someone saying what you'll do for them each day. 3-Fill it out with the Nativity story. Color pictures, add your own pictures. This would be great for Grandparents or other family.

Etsy-BanannaFishStudio's Shop

12 Days BEFORE Christmas
This is more for your individual family. Each day for the 12 days before Christmas do an activity together. Or take a picture a day for the 12 Days before. At the end of 12 days you'll have made some great family memories and as a plus hopefully it will help you get to do all of the Holiday things that you want to during the month of December if you focus on 1 a day.

http://www.writeclickscrapbook.com/write_click_scrapbook/2010/12/the-twelve-days-before-christmas.html#comment-6a0115703fdafe970b017d3e410936970c

12 Days Ring and Run for Kids

This is great for small kids. Small items that can be left on a doorstep and represent a part of the 12 Days of Christmas Song. Tip Junkie has some cute poems and printables that you can download to do this.

http://www.tipjunkie.com/holiday-crafts/christmas/12-days-of-christmas/
12 Days of Christmas-Ring and Run

12 Days of Christmas Activities Banner

This idea is similar to an advent calendar. A Banner for each of the 12 days contains ideas for you to do each day inside the box. You could do this for your family, make it for another family and include a scripture for each day that goes with the nativity story, or just include small treats for each day.

http://www.inspiringcreationsblog.com/2009/10/12-days-of-christmas.html

12 DATES of Christmas

Really cool idea from The Dating Divas. Put together 12 Dates for you and your spouse. One for each month of the year. Rather then packing 12 dates into the 12 days of Christmas which is near impossible with Christmas parties, Childrens activities, and Holiday Prep. They give ideas or you can make your own.

http://www.thedatingdivas.com/erika/all-i-want-for-christmas-is/

12 Days of Nativity Scriptures

See our guest blogger from last week. She used scriptures from the LDS website to go with her nativity pieces that she will be giving for each night.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=2f9db62c630dd110VgnVCM100000176f620a____

12 Days of Christmas Song

Similar to the Ring and Run from above this poem has items that somewhat match the 12 Days of Christmas song. You can attach the poem piece and the item you'll be giving.

http://mymixofsix.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas

12 Days of Christmas Ornaments

I found this on Pinterest and could not find a site to link it up to. But use  a bulletin board piece or make your own . Then find an ornament a day for the 12 Days of Christmas and have your children hang them each day. Or make this a gift for someone.

Pinterest-Couldn't find the link of who to credit it to.

12 Days of Christmas-Classic

This idea from the Crafting Chicks is just a simple 12 Days of Christmas with random gifts of your choosing. 

http://thecraftingchicks.com/2010/12/12-days-of-christmas-ideas.html

12 Days of Christmas Giving

 12 Days of Christmas Nativity

As I've been in and out of stores the last 6 weeks or so I found it odd that all things Christmas were up on the shelves before I had a chance to but my Halloween candy. As Thanksgiving got closer I noticed that many/most of the decor and merchandise I was seeing in stores was Santa Claus, Snowmen, Reindeer etc. And while I love Christmas and everything about it I thought for a minute of how commercial Christmas has become. People waiting in line to shop and get the best deals on Black Friday missing out on precious time that could be had with family. I thought this year I would make a real effort to put the Christ back in Christmas for my family and to look outside my circle for those that need a little help. As a result of my musings I've invited a guest blogger to talk about the 12 Days of Christmas Nativity style. I know the 12 Days of Christmas is popular here and there but this is a different take on it. I hope you enjoy. You'll be seeing more ideas like this over the next month. 

(Rachel is currently a Junior in College studying General Studies.) 

Rachel J.- Guest Blogger

Once upon a Christmas time my family began the tradition of surprising a family in need with the twelve days of Christmas nativity. Every night we would secretly deliver a single piece from a nativity set. Connected with a scripture that described the piece. We would wrap it up to make it look festive and deliver treats with it. As children we would deliver it to the door, ring the doorbell and run. We would start with the Christmas star and then on Christmas Eve end with baby Jesus. As a child it reminded me of what Christmas was all about, giving to others and that Christ was what Christmas was all about. It is easy to get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas. This idea was to emphasize Christ in Christmas. This idea can be done for friends, grandparents, co-workers, siblings living near or far, moms with LDS missionaries currently serving, and shhh Moms plug your ears, missionary girlfriends too; or even your next door neighbor. Moms you can even do this for your children or spouse. 

Items you will need: 

• A 12 piece nativity set. It may be hard to find a 12 piece nativity set so if it is less than 12 you can always improvise with treats and small gifts to give you 12 days of items. 

• Wrapping, I found small clear party bags at Wal-Mart for a dollar then got festive tissue paper and gold ribbon. With a tag on it for the date. If you are hand delivering it during the 12 nights of Christmas then you don’t need a tag with the date but if you are sending it through the mail you need to so they know which one to open that day. I found my Christmas tags at Hobby Lobby for a dollar.

• Red paper, or any Christmassy paper for the scripture. My family would roll it up like a scroll and put gold ribbon around it. Or you can put them in envelopes. I put them in brown long envelopes I found at Hobby Lobby then decorated them with Christmas stamps. If you are sending them to loved ones faraway then you can add notes and letters to go with the scripture. 

• If you are sending it to someone in the mail, then you will need to add a note giving directions on the twelve days of Christmas and how it works. 

• Then you can add anything to the 12 days of Christmas nativity pieces such as Christmas candy or chocolates and even a Christmas present for the last day. 

• For the scriptures I found these links to be helpful. 

http://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/christmas-bible-verses/

http://www.lds.org/liahona/2010/12/small-and-simple-things?lang=eng&query=christmas+story+scriptures

• The Christmas Story

  Many people are familiar with the Nativity story as told in Luke 1–2. But there are many other places in the scriptures that talk about the miraculous birth of the Savior Jesus Christ. Consider including these verses in your personal scripture study this month:

  Old Testament	New Testament	Book of Mormon	Doctrine and Covenants	Pearl of Great Price
  Isaiah 7:14; 9:6–7	Matthew 1–2	1 Nephi 10:4–6;11:13–21	D&C 76:41	Moses 5:57
  Micah 5:2	John 1:1–14	Alma 7:9–13	D&C 93:1–4
  		Helaman 14:1–9
  		3 Nephi 1

• It has scriptures that are great to use, or you can always do your own. I saw that on the LDS website they have a 12 days of Christmas that is just service which is also a great idea. 

Good luck! You can always adjust and make things your own depending on the person. I hope you found this idea useful. It’s hard to find things that are fun for Christmas and are still centered on Christ. This helped me as a child know what Christmas was all about, and hope it will start a Christmas tradition for your family! 

Give the Gift of the 12 Days of Christmas

The 12 Days of Christmas can be more then a classic Christmas Carol heard by the local children's choir. Bring the Spirit of Christmas into your home and your heart this holiday season as you find the time to give the gift of the 12 Days of Christmas. Check back on Tuesday for a guest blogger who will be sharing her ideas, tips, and plans for a holiday tradition that was started in her family years ago.