Recommended for you

Start writing a post

Lifestyle

25 Interesting Christmas Facts That You May Or May Not Know

Cheer up dude, it's Christmas

Kelsey Jacobson

Dec 10, 2018

University of Wisconsin Branch Schools

172

25 Interesting Christmas Facts That You May Or May Not Know

https://unsplash.com/@rpnickson

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays for many reasons. I love the traditions, the food, the gifts, and the story of Christmas. Here are some interesting Christmas facts that you may or may not know.

1. Santa Claus flying his sleigh

http://alexasteroidastrology.com/astrology-of-santa-asteroid/

The image didn't begin until 1819. Washington Irving is the one that created the image. I can't imagine a Santa without a sleigh.

2. The original Rudolph didn't have his famous red nose

https://gazette.com/opinion/editorial-rudolph-the-racist-reindeer-show/article_861c0852-f82f-11e8-91e1-f346c0160351.html

Back in the day, a red nose was an indicator of chronic alcoholism. Montgomery Ward didn't want Rudolph to seem like he had that.

3. Rudolph was almost named Reginald or Rollo

https://www.bostonherald.com/2018/12/01/rudolph-problematic-oh-deer/

So, instead, it could have been Reginald or Rollo who saved the day instead of Rudolph.

4. Dutch children left food and drink for St. Nicholas

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/short-interesting-history-milk-cookies-tradition

We continue that tradition today with cookies and milk.

And now, I want cookie and milk! It sounds so good.

5. Norse children left food for Santa's reindeer

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/216524694558811196/

Dutch children also adopted this tradition. They left food in their wooden shoes for St. Nicholas' horse.

6. America's first batch of eggnog

https://www.liquor.com/recipes/eggnog/

The first batch of eggnog was made in the year of 1607 in the town of Jamestown.

The eggnog in the picture looks every daygood. Not going to lie.

7. Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/norway-clearly-hates-london-trafalgar-square-christmas-tree-comes-under-fire-after-unveiling-a3410271.html

The Christmas Tree is donated to the people of London every year by the people from Oslo, Norway. It's their way of giving thanks for their assistance during the second world war.

8. The Christmas Truce

https://fee.org/articles/the-christmas-truce-of-world-war-i/

The Christmas Truce happen in 1914 during the first world war between the British and the Germans in the trenches. They exchanged gifts in no man's land, played football, and decorated their shelters.

9. The Christmas Wreath

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcEdPv_Mm50

It was hung as a symbol of Jesus originally. A tradition that we have in our household is that we always put a

10. The three traditional colors of Christmas

https://picclick.com/Colored-Ball-Garland-105-Christmas-Tree-Decoration-Red-292060451316.html

They are red, green and gold. The red symbolizes the blood that Jesus, the green symbolized life and rebirth, and gold represent royalty and wealth.

11. Spiders are symbols of prosperity and goodness at Christmas time in Poland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Christmas_Spider

Spider webs are often used as tree decorations.

I really want to do this to my tree now.

12. Tinsel was invented in 1610 in Germany

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thick-Luxury-Metallic-Christmas-Tree-Tinsel-Decoration-Various-Colours-/272389884971

And tinsel was once made of real silver! Mind is blown. I wonder where they are now.

13. We don't know the exact date and month of Jesus' birth

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Christmas-Nativity-Scene-Jesus-Birthday-Edible-Cake-Topper-1-4-FROSTING-sheet-/252371282086

Even though we celebrate his birth of Jesus on December 25th, but no matter, it's still the fact that we still celebrate his birth. That's truly what is important

14. Jingle Bells was written for Thanksgiving not Christmas

https://www.indigofragrance.com/item_221/Jingle-Bells-Fragrance-Oil.htm

James Pierpont was the writer behind the song, and my mind is now blown. I didn't even know.

15. Coca-Cola was the first company to use Santa Claus during winter for their promotion

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/170292429634054468/

16. A Law In Britian

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_England

The law forbids you from not visiting church on Christmas, and you can not visit the church on a vehicle. But in real life, this law is not actually followed.

17. The Statue of Liberty

https://www.bhg.com/shop/stonehouse-collection-santa-and-the-statue-of-liberty-funny-christmas-holiday-cards-18-cards-and-19-envelopes-pae86efae3368ceabedf888c0a705e68a.html

On Christmas Day, the French gave the statue as a gift to the United States in 1886.

Thank you France for this amazing gift!

18. The first Christmas was celebrated

https://citywonders.com/blog/Italy/Rome/christmas-in-rome

The first Christmas was celebrated on December 25, 336 AD in Rome.

19. Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states In the US

https://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-tallest-christmas-trees

Just can't get enough.

California, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina are the top Christmas tree producing states in the United States.

Go Wisconsin! Sorryevery day not sorry.

20. In 1915, Hallmark introduced their Christmas Cards

https://www.amazon.com/Hallmark-Christmas-Holiday-Matching-Envelopes/dp/B01LYQ1VBH

Christmas Cards are great, and you better believe that I'm sending people some.

21. Christmas tree decoration

https://www.balsamhill.com/p/silver-and-gold-picks

This is believed to have originated from Germany in the 16th century.

22. Christmas trees were first decorated with fruits

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/513058582528934110/

Later, people started using candles, and then in 1895, people started to use electric lights.

If I used food, I would just eat it. So, that wouldn't be good. I would love to use candles since I have a love for candles. That would be kind of cool.

23. The largest floating Christmas tree in the world

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2014/12/01/worlds-largest-floating-christmas-tree-is-lit-in-rio/

The largest floating Christmas tree is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and it is is 278 freet tall. That's a really big tree. I want to go to Rio to check out this tree.

24. The tallest living Christmas tree

https://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-tallest-christmas-trees

It's the Douglas fir in the town of Woodinville, Washington. It's 122 feet tall, and 81 years old.

25. In Italy, Christmas dinner can last for more than 4 hours

Most Italian families have more than 7 courses for dinner.

This sounds like a lot of fun.

I learned a lot from this. There were a few things I didn't know while there were other things I did know. You learn something new every day, and I hope you did too.

Report this Content

This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

Student Life

Things I Am Actually Going To Do This Semester

Or at least try to do.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

168

CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less

new year

Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

Southwestern University

920

woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch

Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less

library

Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

Michigan State University

683

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less

Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

University of Vermont

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less

finals

Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

Kennesaw State University

1376

group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.