Your standard "What happened to my beer?", Christmas Edition

So there I was, two weeks ago, when a couple buddies of mine told me I should brew a holiday-type beer. I know I'm behind the timeline for this, but I figured it'd be a fun and festive thing to do, even if it won't be ready for the holiday season. So I make go to my LHBS and make this:

8oz each chocolate, crystal 80, black patent malts
8# dark LME
1#-ish clover honey (whatever a jar is)
bittering and aroma hops
3 quartered oranges, some grated ginger, a few cinnamon sticks, some nutmeg "tea", and a half dozen cloves (all added after boil, let steep for ~30 min then removed)
OG: 1.072

So I pitch a vial of White Labs American ale yeast, and fermentation starts chugging along (no starter, i know, tsk tsk). I'm getting more and more patient with my beers, so I ignore it for a week and then test it, and I'm sitting at 1.055.

First thought, something's wrong here. It's in my apartment, with no more than a 5 degree temperature swing. So I give it a little swirl, pitch some dry yeast I had laying around, and yesterday (another week later) it's dropped to 1.040.

Any ideas from the esteemed assembly as to what's going on in that magical ale pail? I'm trying to leave the yeasties to their own devices but I'm starting to wonder... thanks fellas!

That was a high OG and you pitched a small volume of yeast and no starter, not good. You say it had a head on it but how long did that continue and how active was it? Are you sure your hydrometer is not cracked? After 3 weeks I would taste it and see what you have. If you have a brix meter then check it with that.

I dunno, that stinks... I tapped my holiday ale for the Thanksgiving weekend... it is so good. Definately brewing it next year.

It was bubbling along nicely from day 2 through 5, and then bubbling once every 30 seconds or so when I cracked it and took a sample at one week. Fermentation round two, it bubbled once every 5-6 seconds for maybe 3 more days, then back to the once every 10 seconds or so routine. I still use plastic pails for my primarys, so no visual on the krausen. Hydrometer is good, tested it in water.

The Pol...haha i'm jealous...I have 5 gallons of mildly alcoholic sugar water sitting in my bathtub taunting me. I'll plan it better next year

Sux man, so sorry to hear that.