The Twelve Days of Christmas in Large Print: Free PDF
The words of The Twelve Days of Christmas are here in large print, one sheet at 18, 24 or 28 point. Credit: Traditional English, as printed in J. O. Halliwell, The Nursery Rhymes of England (5th edition, 1886). Published before 1930, so public domain in the US and free to copy.
| Words | Traditional English, as printed in J. O. Halliwell, The Nursery Rhymes of England (5th edition, 1886) |
|---|---|
| Type size | 18, 24 or 28 pt |
| Paper | US Letter, A4 or 11 x 17 in, white or cream |
The Twelve Days of Christmas in large print: words and download
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The first day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree.
The second day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Two turtle doves and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The third day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The fourth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The fifth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The sixth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Six geese a laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The seventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Seven swans a swimming,
Six geese a laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The eighth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eight maids a milking,
Seven swans a swimming,
Six geese a laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The ninth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a milking,
Seven swans a swimming,
Six geese a laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The tenth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a milking,
Seven swans a swimming,
Six geese a laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The eleventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eleven ladies dancing,
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a milking,
Seven swans a swimming,
Six geese a laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
The twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve lords a leaping,
Eleven ladies dancing,
Ten pipers piping,
Nine drummers drumming,
Eight maids a milking,
Seven swans a swimming,
Six geese a laying,
Five gold rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
Words: Traditional English, as printed in J. O. Halliwell, The Nursery Rhymes of England (5th edition, 1886). Music: Traditional English (arranged by Frederic Austin, 1909). Public domain in the United States: words printed 1886 (US, published 1929 or earlier).
The words above are set the way this site sets every song: left aligned, one column, plain type with no italics, and a blank line between stanzas. The sheet has 12 stanzas and 102 lines. For more songs of the season, see the large print Christmas carols collection, and the whole set of texts is listed on the large print prayers and hymns page.
Where does The Twelve Days of Christmas come from?
According to Wikipedia, the words were first published in England in the late eighteenth century. The earliest known printings are an illustrated children's book, Mirth Without Mischief, published in London in 1780, and a broadsheet from Newcastle. The wording has varied a great deal since. The standard form comes from a 1909 arrangement by the English composer Frederic Austin, which also gave the song the tune most people know and changed the fourth day's gift from colly birds to calling birds. The twelve days of Christmas are the days of the Christmas season, starting with Christmas Day. The song is cumulative: each verse adds one item and repeats all the earlier ones. The sheet follows the fifth edition of Halliwell's Nursery Rhymes of England, printed in 1886, so it may differ from the Austin wording most people sing today. Check it against the version your group knows.
How is The Twelve Days of Christmas sung as a game?
The Twelve Days of Christmas is a natural group game, because the whole room can take one day each. It is also long: each verse is longer than the last. The sheets for Good King Wenceslas and The First Noel use the same layout, so they sit well in one folder.
How do you print The Twelve Days of Christmas for a service, a sing-along or a care-home visit?
Print at 24 point on 11 x 17 paper so the growing verses stay on one page, and give each person a copy. To play it as a game in a care home or classroom, assign a day to each person or table, so that each group sings its own line, and the room joins the rest. Because the song is cumulative, a reader at 28 point will need more pages than other songs, so print a few extra and staple them in order. Cream paper reduces glare, and single-sided printing keeps the pages easy to turn. Eighteen point is the smallest size we offer, because the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) says print below 18 point is not large print, and our page on what large print is explains the reasons for 18, 24 and 28 point.