Clementine Advent Starts to Sing

The one and only Clementine Advent was put on the kitchen wall. She was a Twelve Days of Christmas chocolate clock, and she counted down the twelve days before Christmas.

At the stroke of midnight the chocolate clock started to sing, and I must say she had a very sweet voice - it was as sweet as chocolate.

On the twelfth day before Christmas at midnight all of the Laugherty household was quiet, and a magical feeling of Christmas hung in the air. It was a lovely atmosphere. Then all of a sudden Clementine Advent started to sing:

“On the first day of Christmas

My true love sent to me ...”

Then instead of singing the words she sang to the music: “De de de, da da, de de, da da da, de de de, da da, la la la la la, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta....”

Milly started to sing along, and then the wristwatch sitting on the kitchen top (Omega Horizon) started to sing along, and the grandfather clock in the hall (George Midnight) sang and swayed to the music in a booming voice: “De de, da da da, de de, da da da....” The Australian Clock (Polly Quazar) sang along in her Australian voice: “De de, da da da, de de, da da da.... And the picture clock (London Melody) also started to sing along while showing a lovely scene of London with the Christmas lights and the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. And the cuckoo clock (Jasmine Feathersprings) joined in too: “De de, da da da, de de, da da da....” In fact, soon every clock and watch in the house was singing along.

Unexpectedly, the cranberry jelly in the fridge started to sing along as it wibbled and wobbled: “De de, da da da, de de, da da da....” Then Midnight Owl in the oak tree in the garden started to hoot along: “Hoot hoot hoot, de de, da da da....”

Unexpectedly, and strangely enough, the fridge door swung open with a blast of cool air and the dead turkey cock took to his feet. Even though he was without his head, he started to strut his funky stuff on the tiled kitchen floor: “De de, da da da,” he sang in his beautiful turkey voice:

“On the first day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

A partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree.”

Then the ice cubes in the fridge shook like maraccas and shouted, “That’s brrrilliant!” They shivered and quivered and then piped up in shrill tones:

“On the third day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree.”

Then Mog Og, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up and stepped into the kitchen. He started to caterwaul in his lovely voice, and accompanying himself by using his long whiskers as a fiddle he sang:

“On the fourth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree.”

He danced round the kitchen, singing with the headless turkey, and then he danced through the cat flap out into the garden where Midnight Owl was singing in the apple tree. He danced under the tree and then he started to run and jump and skip. He was so happy! He ran along the cobbled lanes, still singing, and the alley cats joined in with him, and he ran through hedges, over ditches and bridges singing all the while.

When he came to quilted fields of corn and barley and wheat, the swaying crops began humming along: “De, da da da da....”

And in a farmyard not too far away, under dreaming skies, the silly cows began to sing along with Mog Og:

“On the fifth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Five gold rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree.”

And then the porky pigs in the pigpen started to sing along with Mog Og: “De, da, de, da da, de de, da da da....” and they snorted as they sang.

And then the geese gaggling in the farmyard started to sing with their lovely gaggling voices:

“On the sixth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Six geese a-laying,

Five gold rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree.”

Then the sheep in the fields heard the singing and started to sing along as well. They piped up in their baa-baa voices:

“On the seventh day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five gold rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree.”

Even some very, very early morning milkmaids milking the cows started to sing in their milkmaid voices:

“On the eighth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five gold rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree.”

Then the early morning milkman struck up a note as he carried his bottles of milk in the quiet, sleepy village. The milkman sang:

“On the ninth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Nine ladies dancing,

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five gold rings ...”

In the manor house on the hill, the lord and lady of the manor suddenly started singing in their sleep:

“On the tenth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Ten lords a-leaping,

Nine ladies dancing,

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five gold rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree.”

There was a castle on another hill, and Mog Og danced into the courtyard, where he sang while the pipers played:

“On the eleventh day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Eleven pipers piping,

Ten lords a-leaping,

Nine ladies dancing,

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying ...”

Then in the same courtyard Mog Og noticed some strange drummers. They were ghosts from years gone by, but they looked real enough so Mog Og sang while they played:

“On the twelfth day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

Twelve drummers drumming,

Eleven pipers piping,

Ten lords a-leaping,

Nine ladies dancing,

Eight maids a-milking,

Seven swans a-swimming,

Six geese a-laying,

Five gold rings,

Four calling birds,

Three French hens,

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree.”

Back at the Laugherty house there was a party atmosphere like never before. The clocks all sang together like an orchestra playing.

Mog Og had been singing for a very long time, but eventually he decided to run back home. He ran over hedges, over bridges, over fields, and even over sheep in the fields, until he finally arrived back home. By this time all the clocks had stopped singing and humming, the headless turkey had stopped strutting his funky stuff, the jelly had stopped singing, the ice cubes had stopped singing - everyone had stopped singing.

The house was quiet, and everyone fell asleep, having enjoyed the midnight festivities.

Dr Laugherty came downstairs very early as usual the next morning, and he wondered why on earth the turkey was out of the fridge, lying on the floor, and the jelly was in a heap and the ice cubes were all over the place.

Dr Laugherty didn’t have time to clean and tidy the kitchen, so he called Miles to come and put the turkey back in the fridge and tidy the place a little.

He never dreamt that Clementine Advent was the cause of it all. No one would have guessed. She was now sitting on the kitchen wall, not making a sound. The only thing different about her was the fact that a chocolate had been eaten. Daisy had eaten the first advent chocolate on the twelfth day of Christmas.