The Cost of 12 Days of Christmas

The 12 days of Christmas first appeared in a book in 1780 as a memory game and the first published version of the song was in English, but France claims they have 3 older versions of it. This might explain why there are French hens offered by the 'true love'. Whilst the leaping lords and dancing ladies would be a bonus for any Christmas party, spare a thought for the neighbours having to put up with all the drumming and piping!