Twelve Days of Christmas, Inc. began in 1999 when the organization’s founders, Gayla Gardner and her daughter Donya Gardner, decided to bring in the millennium by sharing their blessings with others. Rather than give gifts to their own family, they decided to give to others instead. The founders invited their friends to host a series of Christmas parties, held over the span of twelve consecutive days, and asked guests to bring donations that would be distributed to less fortunate families in the Houston area. The spirit of our founding chapter has also spread nationally, leading to local chapter establishments in New York, Washington D.C., Oakland, Atlanta and Detroit.