As the classic song suggests, Christmas is only the beginning of an increasingly impractical gift-giving extravaganza. If you (or your true love) want to honor the spirit of the song, we’ve found a seasonally appropriate story for every one of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Take a deep breath, and check back every day to see what we’re unwrapping. Our final gift from our true love? The percussionists.

January 5: The Twelfth Day of Christmas
Twelve Drummers Drumming

Another one you’ll have to wait for, but you can start getting inspired now. Angela Smith’s comprehensive survey Women Drummers ensures you’ll end the twelve days with an appropriate crescendo. The book is an excellent antidote to the macho stereotypes of drummers, and takes its inspiration from jazz drummer Viola Smith, who made waves in 1942 by maintaining that “hep girls” could hold their own in any jam session. The author interviewed more than fifty female drummers from rock to jazz, blues to country, whose careers have collectively spanned eight decades—including Sheila E., Debbi Peterson of The Bangles, and Lenny Kravitz’s longtime drummer Cindy Blackman. Smith also ventures back into history to explore the role of drumming in religious ceremonies and the silencing of women’s roles in the medieval church. The modern stories are often tales of taking on a chauvinistic musical establishment—no matter what the musical genre—but taken together, they prove the essential contribution female drummers have made to modern music.

See all twelve days of Christmas here.