As a kid, I remember a novelty book kicking around our house based on the “12 Days of Christmas” carol. The book was an epistolary story (story told in the form of a character writing letters.) The letter writer was the subject of the song, writing “thank you” notes to her true love for each of the gifts given during the 12 days. All the letters were accompanied by illustrations of a scene featuring the latest gift, all featuring the letter writer just offscreen. The Partridge (in the pear tree) was also somewhere in each illustration.
As the days go by and the gifts become more extravagant, the letter writer becomes increasingly harried and frustrated by the gifts ("eight maids a’milking, nine lords a’leaping, etc.)
The twelfth and final letter is an official letter written by the physician of the subject. It states that she’s developed a “sudden nervous condition” and will be attending a “spa” in the country for the next several months. All the gifts are returned except for the five golden rings and the partridge (not the pear tree.)
Does this book ring a bell with anyone?
