Welcome to our Netroots for the Troops, Inc. Holiday Fundraiser: Twelve Days of Christmas Blog! Today is the first day of Christmas, where-in we receive a member of the pheasant family uncharacteristically perched in a deciduous fruit-bearing tree.
Over the fold we explore three burning questions: What the heck is that partridge doing up in that pear tree? How much is all this going to cost my true love, anyway? And don't the 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day? But first, what is this thing called NFTT?
Netroots for the Troops is a DK tradition. We raise funds each year to create and send care packages to our troops. There's something magical about receiving a care package. Your donation will help us create and ship packages full of useful and fun things to our soldiers overseas. Boxes will be packaged next summer at Netroots Nation. More on how to donate below.
This month's fundraiser theme is 12 Days of Christmas. Taken literally, the 12 Days of Christmas are the season in a traditional church calendar between Christmas and Epiphany. For our purposes, however, they're a time of giving in a month that includes holidays celebrated by those of many faiths, and a huge secular holiday celebrated by many more. So we've moved them right on up into December with nary a lick of remorse.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree.
So what do the 12 Days of Christmas mean? Well popular lore has written as a catechism song for young Catholics. According to Snopes.com, however, not so much. We do know that as an English folk song it was first published in 1780, but our friends at Snopes give evidence that the song is French in origin. This becomes important as we try to figure out why on earth that partridge is up in that pear tree.
Here's the thing, you see: partridges dwell and nest on the ground. They would rather run or walk than fly, and would be inclined to jump down out of that pear tree at the first available opportunity. So why, then, did our true love give us such a thing? Here's a clue: the song is believed to be of French origin, and the French word for partridge is (wait for it) perdrix. Our friends at Wikipedia, font of all authoritative wisdom (yes that was snark, but you know you go there) suggest that the line was originally just a re-stating, as in "a partridge, une perdrix".
But really, who knows?
So how much is all this going to cost my poor true love?
Well s/he'll certainly be stimulating the economy, I'll tell you that. Each year a well known bank publishes a list of the costs of the 12 days of Christmas. I plan to steal their prices, while quibbling with their methodology: They add up each item/set once. To me though, the song ends us up with 12 partridges in 12 pear trees, 11 pairs of turtle doves, etc. For example, we get just the bird in the bush on day 1; the turtle doves plus another partridge/pear tree on day 2; the french hens plus more turtle doves plus yet another partridge/tree on day 3 and so on.
So one partridge + one pear tree = day one total of $161.99.
I'll be doing tomorrow's diary, then we move on to other diarists. I'll continue to publish the pricing in the comment threads and on day twelve I'll give you the link to the bank website. Or you can spoil the fun and google it.
Did you enjoy the diary? Now it's your turn to have some fun! Be sure to recommend the diary and make lots and lots of comments! The team with the highest number of comments and recommends at the end of the fundraiser will earn special recognition! Then, make a pledge and donation! Here's how:
- Visit our website
- At the top left corner of your screen, select "Find A Team/Participant"
- Under the blank box, click "Show All Teams"
- Click on the Team Name for Today's Team
- At the top left corner of your screen, select "Make A Donation"
It's that simple! Now, on with the games!