Treebeard's Stumper 12 Dec 97

The Twelve Days of Christmas

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a partridge in a pear tree." On the second day, I get two turtle doves and another partridge, for a total of four presents altogether. (Lots of birds!) So how many presents will I receive after all twelve days of Christmas? And what present will I get the most of? As an advanced stumper, is there a general formula for the n days of Christmas? And as a bonus ecclesiastical stumper, exactly when are the twelve days of Christmas, and what do they signify?

Answer

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