How about a Christmas game?

[missyk]

'Round yon virgin

(Oh, yeah, leave that line for me to find!! )

[myrnalu]

mother and child

[Patti B]

Holy infant so tender and mild......

[Nova]

Sorry to go back to the Partridge song, but my daughter emailed me the meaning of how it came to be, so I thought I would share. (Now we know!)

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were

not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone

during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young

Catholics.

It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning

plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each

element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality

which the children could remember.

-The Partridge in a Pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke &

John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books

of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy

Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution,

Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy,

Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self

Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today.