Traveling Through the 12 Days of Christmas: Books that Make Great Gifts!

This post contains affiliate links.

I debated publishing my post here as I sit here shedding tears and praying for the Lenaburg family who is preparing to say good-bye to their sweet Courtney.  Courtney's life on earth will be ending soon.  :(  My heart breaks for them.  I've been following Mary's blog at Passionate Perseverance for several months now and her posts have touched my heart.  Mary's faith and strength is amazing and inspiring!  What a beautiful gift Courtney is to family, friends, and even to strangers like me.  Please pray for them during this sad time. 

But, I thought I would publish my scheduled post below after sharing with you about the Lenaburgs.

So now on to much, much, much less important matters now...

Unimportant Matter #1:  My blog redesign is coming along, don't you think? (It's still a work in progress) 

Unimportant Matter #2: The "O" Antiphons begin tomorrow,  December 17,  which means two things:
1) We will be pulling out our "O" Antiphons Lapbooks we started last year to learn and pray with the last 8 days of Advent and...
2) Christmas Day is almost here!

In previous years, I wrote blog posts about the 12 days of Christmas.  The 12 days of Christmas are the days leading up to Christmas Day right?  Not exactly.

I really never knew which days were considered  the "12 Days of Christmas" as I sang the "12 Days of Christmas" song as a child, but as an adult and a homeschool mom, I have learned that the 12 days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day and last for 12 days until the Epiphany, when the Wise Men visit the Christ Child. 

I thought I would share a great book series to help your family and friends "travel" through the 12 days of Christmas.   The series of books start with "The Twelve Days of Christmas in ______".  Fill in the blank with a US state (see list below) and you have a book that is fun, engaging, and educational too! 

I first came across the series when I gave The Twelve Days of Christmas in North Carolina to Patty at Reasons for Chocolate for a baby shower gift during Christmas time which was few years ago!   Patty does not live in NC so I thought I would give her a book from my home state as a way to share NC facts and fun with her and her growing family. I also thought it was cool to see that one of the cities highlighted was the city where I was born!  :)

Here's a little peek into the The Twelve Days of Christmas in North Carolina book that I am giving my nieces (one lives in New York and my other niece lives in Australia) and my nephew and Godson from Pennsylvania got a book too! 

Each book highlights the state with the popular landmarks and cities in the particular state.  The map  labels what each of the 12 days throughout the book are about.  I really like that this teaches geography in a fun way! 

Each of the 12 days is written in a letter format from a girl named Abby who is visiting her cousin, Mike, in NC.  Abby is writing back home to her Mom and Dad and telling about all her NC adventures with Mike.   Here on the 8th day of Christmas Mike gave Abby 8 kites a-flying so Abby writes in her letter all about Kill Devil Hills, where they flew their kites.  Kill Devil Hills is noted on the map above on the East Coast of NC.  She then tells her parents that they were pretending to be like the Wright brothers and goes on to give facts about the first NC flight.  Each page is full of color and fun facts like this. 

I have enjoyed reading our copy to my family and these books make great gifts!  Don't they Patty? ;)

But what if you don't live in North Carolina and I have peeked your interest enough that you want to look for a book in another state?  :) 

I've got the perfect suggestion! :)  Here is a list of these books about other states (in alphabetical order) in case you are looking for a last minute gift idea that is fun and educational too!

The Twelve Days of Christmas in....

Arizona

California 

Colorado

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Louisiana 

Michigan

Minnesota

New Jersey 

New York City

Ohio

Oklahoma 

Oregon

Pennsylvania  

South Carolina

Texas 

Virginia

Washington

Washington, DC

Wisconsin

Don't see a particular state?  I have searched Amazon for quite some time trying to find as many states as I could, but I might have missed a few along the way.  Maybe if you search Amazon other states will pop up?

I would like to share this video of the group, Straight No Chaser, singing a creative and entertaining version called "12 Days of Christmas Medley."  I always enjoy watching this and so do my Cupcakes!  :)  Enjoy!