Christmas has gone to the birds.

So I've come to the conclusion that Christmas has gone to the birds, literally. You see and hear about them everywhere when it comes to these festive holiday traditions. They are in songs, images, dining, etc. Think about it:

In songs:

"...and a partridge in a pear tree."
"...two turtle doves."
"...three French hens."
"...four calling birds."
"...six geese-a-laying."
"...seven swans-a-swimming."

And furthermore, in the Twelve Days of Christmas, the 'five golden rings' does not mean five glimmering bands made of expensive metal. It actually refers to five golden ring-necked pheasants, which are indeed another bird.  Ten lord’s a leaping… There is a woodpecker called the Lord God Bird and it leaps. In fact many birds leap. Eight maids a milking, the cuckoo bird is often called a 'maid bird' and they milk their young. Nine ladies dancing… The lady roco bird is known for its courtship dancing. Eleven pipers piping probably refers to sandpipers. Twelve drummers drumming. The ruffled grouse is often called a partridge or prairie drummer. So yeah, it really is about the birds.

"...gone away is the bluebird, here to stay is a new bird."

"...we're snuggled up together like two birds of a feather would be."

In imagery:

The typical depiction of birds during Christmas are...

-Chickens, geese, and ducks surrounding the manger with the other animals.
-Doves signifying peace on Earth.
-Penguins are a huge Christmas tradition.
-Christmas ornaments.
-Cardinals, goldfinches, chickadees depicted on frosted window panes or pine trees.

In food:

Birds are typically eaten for most holiday family dinners.

"...four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie."

-Turkey.
-Geese.
-Duck.
-Pheasant.
-Game-hen.
-Chicken.
-Quail
-Partridge

So in closing, if you stop to think about it, Christmas has really been symbolized by birds for as long as it has truly been a holiday. I wonder if Santa has a pet parrot... I smell fowl play.