As with many of my ideas, this one started bright but with very little planning — certainly not enough to allow for the predictable unpredictableness of the holidays.
“I SHOULD DO A ’12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS’ SUPERLUNCHNOTES! I’M SO NIFTY & CREATIVE! AND I’M SURE I CAN THINK OF ALL TWELVE, SO THERE’S NO NEED TO PLAN THIS OUT VERY FAR IN ADVANCE!”
I was zipping along doing a note a day to culminate on Christmas Eve. But then my 7 year-old got sick. Then some work crises sprung up. Then I traveled to Texas for a friend’s funeral. Mix in all the seasonal insanity of shopping, decorating, planning — and for the first time in our new house — hosting, and that puts me here, on January 2nd, posting about Christmas. Right on schedule.
In my defense, my (after-the-fact) research shows that “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is in fact about the days following December 25th, not those preceding it. Ergo, this post is actually a little ahead of schedule. Gold star for me. ⭐
Blah, blah, blah — here are the notes, along with a few notes on the notes.
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12 Drummers Drumming
Starring: Animal
Known for: Playing/eating drums with the Electric Mayhem on The Muppets’ TV shows and films.
Notes on the note: A Christmas Together by John Denver & The Muppets is my favorite holiday album of all time. It opens with their rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” which oddly does not feature Animal, drumming or otherwise.
11 Pipers Piping
Starring: Mario
Known for: Battling giant gorillas, killer plants, and other monstrosities alongside his brother (and fellow plumber), Luigi in Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and a multitude of other video games.
Notes on the note: I was pretty stoked about the cleverness of this one. It gave me (false) hope that I might be able to do all 12 notes verbatim…
10 Lords a-Leaping
Starring: Lord Business
Known for: Wreaking havoc and crushing dreams in The Lego Movie, all while sounding a lot like Wil Ferrell.
Notes on the note: I considered “Toads a-Leaping” for a second, but didn’t want to do another Muppet (Kermit), and thought Toad from the X-Men comics/films was too obscure.
9 Leias Dancing
Starring: Princess Leia
Known for: Saving the galaxy, rocking rad hairdos.
Notes on the note: This was my first diversion from the song’s original lyrics, but I was rather happy with the wordplay and sparkling Death Star disco ball.
9 Leias Dancing was posted on Instagram December 16. A week later Carrie Fisher suffered a heart attack that would prove fatal four days after that. I couldn’t not do a tribute note to her, which I posted the morning after the actress’ death. RIP Princess.
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8 Maids a-Milking
Starring: Rosie
Known for: Domesticated space duster on The Jetsons.
Notes on the note: Fearful that Rosie was too old school for both my son and my IG followers, I considered “8 Maters Milking,” showing Cars’ resident redneck towing some milk. But I went with the robot, and ended up getting the most likes and comments of any in the series. It also gave me a reason to introduce The Jetsons to my son — which he loved!
7 Trons a-Spinning
Starring: Tron
Known for: Being the coolest video game movie ever. The original, not the sequel.
Notes on the note: I tried “‘mons (Pokemons) a-Winning,” but saved that franchise till later. Instead I got to use my black Post-It notes and blue glitter Sharpie in an attempt to illustrate Tron’s light cycle.
6 Gandalfs Greying
Starring: Gandalf
Known for: Walking the Middle Earth in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books and films.
Notes on the note: My alternate idea was “6 Lisas Playing,” depicting Lisa Simpson wailing on her sax. While it fits the rhythm and rhyme of “6 Geese a-Laying” better, I ultimately chose the wizard due to the age-inappropriateness of The Simpsons.
5 Golden Things
Starring: Thing
Known for: Clobbering villains with Marvel’s family super team, the Fantastic Four.
Notes on the note: I got as far as sketching “5 Golden Kings” (a glittery Aquaman), when I had this idea and thought it more fun.
4 Calling Birds
Starring: (clockwise starting top left) Red, Big Bird, Woodstock, and Robin
Known for: Angry Birds, Sesame Street, Peanuts, and DC Comics
Notes on the note: I went through several combinations of various birds and bird-named superheroes. I even considering an all-duck version, which would have featured Donald, Daffy, Howard, and the dad from Fowl Language comics.
3 X-Men
Starring: Wolverine
Known for: Shredding bad guys in X-Men comics and films.
Notes on the note: 3 Grinch Grins, 3 Henchmen, 3 Spider-Men, 3 Qui-Gon Jinns, and 3 Wonder Twins all lost out to Marvel’s mutant team. I also scrapped the idea of featuring three heroes, but thought Logan’s 3-pronged claws looked cooler.
2 Turtle Dudes
Starring: Raphael & Donatello
Known for: Half of the heroes in a half-shell, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Notes on the note: Full disclosure — I’ve done this note before. December 2013, featuring Donnie and Leonardo. I recall people asking for the full song, so thanks for your patience!
A Pikachu in a Pear Tree
Starring: Pikachu
Known for: The OG Pokémon.
Notes on the note: I initially thought about putting Robin in a pear tree, but it didn’t have that “pinnacle” feel to it. With the onslaught of Pokémon Go in my house (and I’m sure in yours, too), Pikachu was the only option to perch atop the list.
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So which one is your favorite? Go give ’em a like on Instagram, and be sure to follow along for daily (school days) lunch note deliciousness!
And oh yeah, Happy New Year!
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