everyone is familiar with the christmas song “the twelve days of christmas”, however, you might not know the reason it was written.

catholics in england during the period of 1558 to 1829 were prohibited from any practice of their faith by law private or public. it was a crime to be catholic. this catchy christmas song was written to help young catholics learn the tenets of their faith- a memory aid so they wouldn’t be caught with anything in writing. if they were caught they were not only imprisoned but were subjected to brutal and horrific torture that lead to death.

the songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of their faith. the “true love” mentioned in the song refers to god himself and the “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person and the partridge in a pear tree is jesus christ, the son of god!

on a lighter note, i thought this was a perfect story to tell on christmas day and i thought i’d do it my way by presenting a vintage red Valentino dress for each of the 12 days of christmas. these dresses are from the valentino virtual museum archives. this is part 2 of the gift of valentino post from december 11. if you haven’t had a chance to download the new valentino virtual museum application, do so now, here! remarkable, amazing, inspiring- a true gift !

merry christmas to those of you who celebrate the birth of jesus and happy holidays to those who celebrate other religious holidays during this time! however you celebrate it is all about loving one another, sharing joy, practicing tolerance, spreading peace and counting blessings!

and lastly, thank you for the few short months i’ve gotten to spend with you doing this blog, each day i post about the things i love with passion and great care, what i receive back is much more than what i give. i’m so thankful for these gifts i receive each day! for me it’s been the best christmas ever- thank you!