12 Days of Christmas Service: {Day 1} A Partridge in a Pear Tree

One of my cherished holiday memories growing up was a service project my family did for the 12 Days of Christmas. My mother who has a knack for making everything seem special and extraordinary made sure we shared that joy with a family in need during the Christmas season.

Our family would choose another family we knew or one that was suggested to us to bestow 12 days of holiday cheer using the popular 12 Days of Christmas song. We would secretly deliver the gifts each night, leaving them on the porch or sending a special messenger with the goodies. This service project was always fun and creative for our family, and as a kid the thrill of keeping a secret was magical. I wanted to carry on this same tradition with my kids now that they are a little older and can appreciate the value of giving and serving others, especially during this time of the year.

Over the next few days I’ll be sharing our 12 Days of Christmas Service project and the creative gifts we leave for our special family. My mom and I have come up with a list of gift ideas and a poem for each day’s gift. Rebekah from A Blissful Nest created pretty tags and a letter explaining the project, which you can download for free to celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas with this fun and memorable service project.

Day 1

The first day of Christmas, a bird on a tree,
A basket of pears, and a warm guarantee
That eleven more evenings are likely to be
Filled with joyous surprises and moments of glee!

For today’s gift I bought a plastic flower pot from the dollar store, stuck tree branches in floral foam and added fresh pears to pot. I also attached a singing “partridge” to one of the tree branches.