As we work our way through the twelve days of Christmas, we reach a point where True Love’s gifts are somewhat over the top. Today is no exception — eleven pipers piping, each armed with a monkey wrench, applying their noble trade to clogged pipes and leaking faucets — at time and a half. It is Christmastide, you know. The eleventh ghost of Christmas introduces Scrooge to Tiny Tim. Scrooge takes an instant dislike to the lad until he learns that Tiny Tim whacks his schoolmates with his crutch and takes their milk money.
In addition to celebrating plumbers, the eleventh day celebrates a saint, as many of the twelve days do. Day eleven is dedicated by those folks who dedicate such things to Saint Simeon Stylites also known as Saint Simeon Stylites the Elder to distinguish him from Simeon Stylites the Younger. He is known primarily for spending 37 years on a platform atop a pillar outside of Aleppo in what is now Syria (one could make a pretty good case that in Syria on top of a pillar might be a good place to be).
Why did Simeon choose to live up there like an Arabian Rapunzel, you ask? Simeon was very likely a wise man or at least people thought he was, because they kept coming to him for advice. Many folks would be honored to be sought out for guidance. Not Simeon. Seekers annoyed him. He wanted to be left alone to pray his private prayers and possibly entertain other thoughts as well.
So he went out and found a pillar. His first pillar was a mere nine feet tall and he soon realized that people could easily shout their entreaties to him. He thus began a series of relocations, each pillar being taller than its predecessor. His final pillar was really up there, some 50 feet above the ground and its many pests.
Wretched Richard's Almanac 