18 Fun Christmas Facts: T’is The Season
Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. The most anticipated time of the year. From family gatherings to the delicious food and the crazy reunions, Christmas is truly a season of joy and awkward conversations.
What is a better way to get the conversation started in your Christmas event than with Christmas fun facts? I bet everyone would be anxious to learn something new and exciting.
Well, are you? Let’s have 18 of the most awesome facts about this holiday season we all love so much!
1. Christmas Trees
Did you know that over 60 million Christmas trees are grown in Europe every year? These trees are actually left to grow to maturation for about 15 years before they are sold. On average, three Christmas trees are planted to replace just one that has been harvested. Therefore, there’ll be enough trees to go around!
2. “All I Want for Christmas is You”
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” is still the most popular Christmas song of all time. The song recorded by the American singer and songwriter in 1994 is said to have amassed a whopping $60 million (as at 2017) off royalties alone!
3. Santa Claus is Real
Yes. You read that right. Santa Claus is inspired by the 4th century Christian Bishop, Saint Nicholas. According to the legend, the bishop gave away his inheritance to help the needy. The story of him being a great gift giver and a helper was inspired by his habit of giving secret gifts to people who needed it. Dutch settlers called him ‘Sinter Klaas’, a name which later morphed into Santa Claus as we know it today.
4. Xmas is Not Wrong
That is a fact. Over the years, a lot of religious debates have sprung up over whether using the abbreviation ‘Xmas’ is correct. Fear not, It is absolutely correct. The term ‘Xmas’ dates back to the 1500s. Let’s go back in time.
In Greek, the language of the New Testament, the word ‘Christ’ begins with the letter ‘X’ which means ‘Chi’. In 1551, Christmas was referred to as ‘Xtemmas’, later shortened to ‘Xmas’. So, calm down. Saying ‘Merry Xmas’ does not take the ‘Christ’ out of ‘Christmas’.
5. Germany Believes in Magic
According to a German Christmas tradition, Christmas eve is a special and magical time when only the pure in heart can hear animals talking and converse with them. How beautiful.
6. Artificial Christmas trees
Not all Christmas trees are really authentic pine trees, as we all know. The first artificial Christmas trees made were manufactured in Germany in the 19th century. These trees were made using goose feathers that were dyed green and attached to wire branches!
7. The Mistletoe is an Aphrodisiac
An aphrodisiac arouses or intensifies sexual desire. Dating back to the time of the ancient Druids, the mistletoe represents fertility, virility, and romance. The mistletoe was also highly valued because of its healing properties, hence the reason why it was used as a Christmas decoration. There is no singular reason why the traditional ‘kiss under the mistletoe’ is practiced, but it sure is fun.
8. Santa is Very Old
Following the legend of Santa Claus, who is apparently inspired by a 4th Century bishop, Saint Nicholas, it is safe to say that Santa Claus is a very old man. Saint Nicholas was born in an unknown month in 270 AD, therefore our very own Santa Claus is 1,749 years old. Or we could just go with the fact that he’s immortal.
9. Candy Canes Are Not Just Sweets
When you think candy canes, you think sugar and sweet aftertastes. Nobody thinks of how it came to be or it’s significance. Well, I’ll tell you. Candy canes were initially straight white sticks of sugar. Their first connection to Christmas came in 1874 and from then, they began to take new meanings. The shape of the candy cane later morphed into a ‘J’ which allegedly stands for the first letter of ‘Jesus’. Not only is the shape significant, but also the colors! White represents the purity of the Lord Jesus Christ while red represents the blood he shed on the cross. How sweet.
10. Christmas Colors Mean More
As Christmas approaches, three colors are most prominent in all the Christmas decorations and those colors are Red, Gold, and Green. Who do you think picked out those colors? Nobody really knows. But each and every Christmas color is representative of something. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ and also love, which is the feeling the season brings. Green symbolizes life, rebirth and also good luck, while Gold represents light, wealth and the warmth of the season.
11. Christmas Trees Were Once Made of Toilet Brushes!
In the 1930s, following the introduction of artificial trees, a British-based hardware company, Addis Hardware Company created artificial Christmas trees from brush bristles. The same bristles they used in producing toilet brushes in their company, was the same tool they used in producing these trees.
12. The Biggest Christmas Gift in the World
Everyone wants to boast of having received the best Christmas gift in the world but nothing beats the gift the United States received on the 25th of December 1886. It was the Statue of Liberty! It was gifted by the French and is an icon of freedom of the United States of America. The statue was built in France, arrived in the United States in crates and it was assembled there.
13. Christmas Was Once Illegal
Did you know that Christmas used to be illegal? Thank God it’s in the past now! In the 17th century, the Puritans made laws that forbade Christmas. In the 20th century, the Soviet Union banned Christmas under the doctrine of state atheism. Even the United States had banned Christmas at one time. Alabama became the first state in the US to legalize Christmas and Oklahoma was the last in 1907.
Woah!
14. Christmas Last-Minute Shopping
Ever heard of Black Friday? Of course, you have. You’ve probably heard that it’s the busiest shopping day of all time but that’s not true. The two days before Christmas (23rd and 24th December) are the busiest shopping days of the year! And it’s no surprise, seeing as everyone wants to get a Christmas gift last minute.
15. Japanese Spend Christmas in Kentucky Fried Chicken
What started off as an advertising strategy turned into a nationwide tradition. On the 25th of December, 1974, Kentucky Fried Chicken promoted fried chicken as a Christmas meal. It was a holiday marketing campaign tagged ‘Kentucky for Christmas’. Very few Japanese people identify themselves as Christians, hence, Christmas is not a public holiday or a big affair. Still, the few who celebrate it wish to do it the traditional way.
Since turkey is not exactly popular in Japan, what better way to have a traditional Christmas meal than getting fried chicken at KFC? The orders during this period are outrageous, to the extent that orders are made two months before Christmas!
16. Wealthy Christmas tree
Did you know that the most expensively decorated Christmas tree to date is worth $11,026,900? The artificial tree was erected by the Abu Dhabi hotel in the United Arab Emirates in 2010. The 13-meter tree is only worth about $10,000 but the real worth of the tree is in the jewelry and ornaments draped on it. The tree held 181 diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires, and other precious stones.
Not only is the tree the most expensively decorated Christmas tree to date, but it must have also been the most heavily guarded.
17. ‘Jingle Bells’ is not a Christmas song
Shocked? I was too. Apparently, the song was written by James Lord Pierpont and it was meant for Thanksgiving. It was written in a tavern in 1850 for his Thanksgiving Sunday Class. In 1857, it was republished as a Christmas song and it has since become one of the most popular Christmas songs in the world today.
18. The Christmas Wreath Is a Symbol
The wreath is an ornamental arrangement used for seasonal decorations. Although wreaths can be made from almost anything, the Christmas wreath is made of evergreens and fresh seasonal flowers.
The Christmas wreath is not just a beautiful decoration but it is also a symbol used to represent certain concepts in Christianity. The circular shape represents continuity and eternity, for it has no beginning and no end. The thorny leaves of the holly oak and the red berries are imitations of the crown of thorns Jesus wore on the day he was crucified and the drops of blood that followed.
Hanging a Christmas wreath on your front door does not only beautify your home, but it is also said to symbolize the invitation of Jesus Christ into your home.
Christmas just got more interesting. Who knew there was a whole lot of beautiful history behind the beautiful season? Well, here’s to raising your Christmas IQ!
**All pictures are gotten from pixabay, free for commercial use and no attribution required.
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