Norwegian scientists have hypothesized that Rudolph's red nose is probably
the result of a parasitic infection of his respiratory system.
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The Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees out of dyed goose feathers.
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Each year more than 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the U.S. alone.
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All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts.
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The "true love" mentioned in the song "Twelve Days of Christmas" does not
refer to a romantic couple, but the Catholic Church's code for God. The person
who receives the gifts represents someone who has accepted that code.
For example, the "partridge in a pear tree" represents Christ.
The "two turtledoves" represent the Old and New Testaments.
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Most of Santa's reindeer have male-sounding names, such as Blitzen, Comet,
and Cupid. However, male reindeer shed their antlers around Christmas, so the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh are likely not male, but female or castrated.
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In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the
official celebration date for the birthday of Christ.
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According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut
was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the
Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.
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The traditional three colors of Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has
long been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes the blood
of Christ, and gold represents light as well as wealth and royalty.
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The Christmas tree made its way to America in the 1830s but wasn't popular
until 1846, after Germany's Prince Albert brought it to England when he married
Queen Victoria. The two were sketched in front of a Christmas tree and the
tradition instantly became popular. Royal fever was real even back then.
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Santa Claus is based on a real person, St. Nikolas of Myra (also known as
Nikolaos the Wonderworker, Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, and Nikolaos of Bari), who lived during the fourth century. Born in Patara (in modern-day Turkey), he is
the world's most popular non-Biblical saint, and artists have portrayed him more often than any other saint except Mary. He is the patron saint of banking, pawnbroking, pirating, butchery, sailing, thievery, orphans, royalty, and New York City.
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Jingle Bells" was originally supposed to be a Thanksgiving song.
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. The earliest known Christmas tree decorations were apples. At Christmastime, medieval actors would use apples to decorate paradise trees (usually fir trees)
during "Paradise Plays," which were plays depicting Adam and Eve's creation and fall.
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Commissioned by Sir Henry Cole (1808-1883), British illustrator
John Callcott Horsley (1817-1903) invented the first Christmas card in 1843.
