Pear: And a Partridge In Its Tree.

Partridge in a Pear Tree (Photo credit: Simply Shar♥n ~ Fun and Challenges)

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... (Photo credit: Swiv)

Each of my family members perseverates. Every Christmas it has to sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Through twelve verses we reiterate, in varying degrees of discordance, "and a partridge in a pear tree."

So for me, pears
mean Christmas, which begs the question--is there Christian symbolism in the pear? So glad you didn't ask. Yes, is the answer.

• According to Purdue University, pears are representative of Christ's love for mankind.
• According to ehow, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" represent Christian faith for many people. Therefore, the partridge in a pear tree is Christ on the cross.
• Mythencyclopedia says pears were sacred to Hera, Pomona and Aphrodite. In China, it represents immortality. And the word "pear" is "li." which is both pear and separation. This suggests that lovers should never share a pair. (Obviously not Christian--bonus bullet).

Health benefits (according to nutrition-and-you.com):

• helps colitis, gallbladder, gout and arthritis
• the least allergenic of all fruits
• rich in copper and other minerals
• rich in fiber
• low cal and lowers cholesterol

Best of all, there are some wonderful recipes out there for pears--mix it with enough sugar and eggs and you can erradicate all of the benefits.