From the religious elements you may already observe every year to pagan origins and some factoids that are just pure entertainment (holiday movie facts, anyone?), even the holly jolliest Christmas aficionados will learn something from this collection of Christmas facts and trivia. There's a little something that touches on every aspect of the holiday. Take a few moments out from the breakneck pace of the holiday season, grab a Christmas cookie and check this list twice.
1. Christmas wasn't always on December 25.
While Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the actual date of the big event is lost to history. There's no mention of December 25 in the Bible and many historians say Jesus was most likely born in the spring. Some historians posit the date was originally chosen because it coincided with the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which honored the agricultural god Saturn with celebrating and gift-giving.
2. Gifts have both Christian and Pagan origins.
Christians may have grown up learning that we give gifts at Christmas to mimic the presents the Three Wise Men brought the baby Jesus. But like so many other traditions, that also has its roots in Saturnalia. The pagans originally gave offerings to the gods, too.
3. Evergreens are an ancient tradition.
The tradition of Christmas trees goes all the way back to the ancient Egyptians and Romans, who decorated using evergreens during the winter solstice to signify that spring would return. So if you deck your halls with a green tree, wreaths or evergreen garland, you're honoring history.
4. You can thank Prince Albert for your Christmas tree.
Brew a cup o' tea when trimming your tree this year to pay homage to its origins. When Prince Albert of Germany got a tree for his new wife, Queen Victoria of England, the tradition really took off across the pond. A drawing of the couple in front of a Christmas first tree appeared in Illustrated London News in 1848. To use modern parlance, the idea went viral.
5. St. Nick was more generous than jolly.
You probably already knew that the idea of Santa Claus came from St. Nicholas. The saint wasn't really a bearded man who wore a red suit; that look came much later. In the fourth century, the Christian bishop gave away his large inheritance to the poor and rescued women from servitude. In Dutch, his name is Sinter Klaas, which later morphed into Santa Claus in English.
6. Americans spend nearly $1,000 on gifts.
According to the National Retail Federation's most recent data, consumers spend an average of $967.13 on the holidays, although individual spending can range widely. Many shoppers will really go all out, but just as many cherish homemade, thrifted or gifts that are generally more meaningful than flashy.
7. Coca-Cola played a part in Santa's image.
Before Coca-Cola decided to use his image for advertising, Santa's looks tended more toward spooky than jolly. Then, in 1931, the beverage company hired an illustrator named Haddon Sundblom to depict the jolly old elf for magazine ads. Now, kids see visions of sugarplums instead of having Santa-themed nightmares.
8. Hanging stockings started by accident.
Legend has it, we hang stockings by the chimney with care thanks to a poor man who didn't have enough money for his three daughters' dowries. Generous old St. Nick dropped a bag of gold down their chimney one night after the girls had hung their freshly-washed stockings there to dry. That's where the gold ended up, and the tradition stuck.
9. Rudolph was a marketing ploy.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first appeared in 1939 when the Montgomery Ward department store asked one of its copywriters to create a Christmas story for kids that the store could distribute as a promotion. The adorable movie featuring the island of misfit toys and Herbie the elf hit the airwaves (and our hearts) in 1964.
10. Black Friday isn't the busiest shopping day.
Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving, certainly sees lots of shoppers heading to the mall. But we must be a nation of procrastinators, because the most hectic days of the year are actually the Friday and Saturday before Christmas. Plan ahead if you don't care for battling the crowds.
11. The eight tiny reindeer have had lots of names.
Rudolph was almost named Rollo or Reginald, which doesn't quite have the same ring to it. But his crew also had lots of other names. They've also been called Flossie, Glossie, Racer, Pacer, Scratcher, Feckless, Ready, Steady and Fireball.
12. Christmas wreaths are religious symbols.
The Christmas wreath first originated as a symbol of Christ. The holly represents the crown of thorns Jesus wore at his crucifixion and the red berries stand for the blood he shed. So when you see a wreath this holiday, you'll remember the reason for the season.
13. "Jingle Bells" was originally a Thanksgiving song.
Turns out, we first started dashing through the snow for an entirely different holiday. James Lord Pierpont wrote the song called "One Horse Open Sleigh" for his church's Thanksgiving concert in the mid-19th century. Then in 1857, the song was re-released under the title we all know and love. Today, it's still among the most popular Christmas songs.
14. Astronauts broadcast "Jingle Bells" from space.
Many of us have done a prank that almost went too far. Nine days before Christmas in 1965, two astronauts aboard the Gemini 6 told Mission Control that they saw an "unidentified flying object" about to enter Earth's atmosphere, traveling in the polar orbit from north to south. Just as things got tense, they interrupted the broadcast with “Jingle Bells,” as Wally Schirra played a small harmonica accompanied by Tom Stafford shaking a handful of small sleigh bells.
15. "Silent Night" is the most recorded song.
We all know the same few handfuls of Christmas songs play at stores and on the radio in a loop all season long. But one of them has been adapted more than others. "Silent Night" earns that title, as the most-recorded Christmas song in history. It's had more than 733 different versions copyrighted since 1978.
16. Celebrating Christmas used to be illegal.
From 1659 to 1681, anyone caught making merry in the colonies would face a fine for celebrating. By the Revolutionary War, the day had so little significance that Congress even held their first session on December 25, 1789. Christmas wasn't even proclaimed a federal holiday for almost another century, proving that the Grinch's attitude toward the holiday was alive and well long before he was.
17. Settlers created the first American eggnog.
The Jamestown settlers created the first American batch of eggnog, although it likely bore little resemblance to today's comforting tipple. The word nog comes from the word grog; or any drink made with rum. An early nog didn't have the rich, milky base we now ladle out of grandma's cut-crystal punch bowl.
18. Christmas decorating sends nearly 15,000 people to the ER.
If you've ever watched Clark Griswold decorate his house in Christmas Vacation, that stat likely doesn't shock you. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 14,700 people visit hospital emergency rooms each November and December from holiday-related decorating accidents. So please, be careful when you're putting up the holly and the ivy.
19. Santa has his own Canadian postal code.
Every year, letters to Santa Claus flood post offices across the world. Cementing their reputation as some of the nicest people ever, some big-hearted Canadian post office workers started writing back. As the program took off, they set up a special postal code for Santa as part of a Santa Letter-Writing Program initiative: HOH OHO.
