Christmas isn’t just a holiday- it’s the most magical time of the year! From sparkling lights to cozy gatherings, it’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy quality time with family and friends, sip on hot cocoa, and make unforgettable memories. But while you’re decking the halls and singing carols, have you ever wondered about the surprising stories and quirky traditions behind this festive season?
Get ready to unwrap some fascinating Christmas facts that will spark conversations and maybe even a few chuckles around the dinner table. Whether you’re a trivia buff or simply love the holiday spirit, these tidbits will add a dash of wonder to your celebrations.
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10 Interesting Facts About Christmas
1. The earliest artificial Christmas trees were created in Germany using dyed goose feathers.
2. Are you aware that over 3 billion Christmas cards are delivered in the U.S. each year?
3. In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, officially announced December 25 as the date of the birth of Jesus Christ.
4. Green, Red, and Gold are the traditional three colours of Christmas. Green represents life and rebirth; red signifies the blood of Christ, and gold symbolizes light, wealth, and royalty.
5. Did you know that in 2017, Sedalia, Missouri, set a new world record for the largest Christmas stocking? The colossal stocking measured 177 feet in length and 72 feet in width. Its size was so impressive that it barely fit within the confines of the Missouri State Fair arena, where it was revealed.
6. Since 1850, the U.S. has been selling Christmas trees, and we believe that it will continue till the end of time.
7. In 1907, Oklahoma was the last U.S. state to declare Christmas a legal Holiday.
8. Did you know that Santa Claus is based on a real person named St. Nikolas of Myra (also called Nikolaos the Wonderworker, Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, and Nikolaos of Bari)? He lived during the fourth century and was born in Patara (in modern-day Turkey). He is the world’s most popular non-Biblical saint.
9. The U.S. has more than 21,900 Christmas tree farms, and over 25 million trees are harvested yearly. In 2008, around 45 million Christmas trees were planted, bringing the total to 400 million trees.
10. Do you know who first decorated the Christmas tree? The Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) is believed to have decorated the Christmas tree before anyone else. Inspired by the stars shining within the fir tree, he decorated the first tree with candles.
Top Christmas Movie Fun Facts
1. Like most movies, Home Alone also slipped in a reference to another Christmas movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life”.
2. In Polar Express, the conductor says “11344 Edbrooke” at the start of the film, which is the address of director Robert Zemeckis’ actual home.
3. “The Polar Express” was one of the first films to be entirely shot in digital 3D.
4. In the movie, “The Christmas Story”, Mythbusters tested if the tongue could get truly stuck on a piece of cold metal. It turned out to be true.
5. To survive the painful makeup process in Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, Jim Carrey worked with a CIA specialist.
6. Will Ferrell had trouble sleeping for eating a lot of sugar while filming for “Elf”.
7. Originally, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s stop-motion animation was shot in Japan; however, the audio was recorded in Canada.
8. The Grinch was black-and-white in the original Dr. Seuss book, but director Chuck Jones had the idea to make him green for the 1966 animated feature.
9. It took “The Nightmare Before Christmas” team an entire week to finish shooting each minute of the completed film.
10. Rudolph creator Robert May considered the names Reginald and Rollo for the reindeer.
11. In “Love Actually”, Hugh Grant was fiercely against his dancing scene in the film and had to be convinced to do it.
12. Die Hard (1988), set during Christmas, is often debated as a Christmas movie but has become a holiday classic for many.
13. The line “You’ll shoot your eye out!” from A Christmas Story is one of the most quoted Christmas movie lines ever.
14. Red One, the holiday action film starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, set a new Prime Video record with 50 million global viewers in its first four days after its December 2024 launch. It was the biggest debut in Amazon MGM Studios’ history.
Fun Christmas Reindeer Facts
1. As surprising as it may sound, Rudolph, the little red-nosed reindeer was never a member of Santa’s reindeer posse. In hopes of creating a new Christmas character for a book, Robert L. May created Rudolph. The reindeer made its first appearance in 1939.
2. The origin of the name ” Reindeer” is from the word “hreinn,” which means deer.
3. In 1823, Santa’s Reindeer made their very first appearance. In the poem “The Night Before Christmas”, Clement C. Moore, the poet, says that ” Eight tiny reindeer” led Santa’s sleigh through the night.
4. The eight tiny reindeer were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixem (later known as Donner and Blitzen).
5. Reindeer are super fast: a human can be easily outrun by a small reindeer calf. The full-grown reindeer is one of the fastest animals on land.
And for closers, “Jingle Bells” wasn’t written for Christmas; it was actually written for Thanksgiving.
Yes, that is true. First published in 1857, Jingle Bells was written by James Lord Pierpont to be sung on Thanksgiving. It wasn’t even called ‘Jingle Bells’. The song was originally called ‘One Horse Open Sleigh’.
Another fun fact about this song:
In 1965, it became the first song ever to be heard from space. This came to fruition as astronauts Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford played the tune on a harmonica and sent it to Earth from Gemini 6 on 16th Dec 1965. The harmonica and bells they used are now in the Smithsonian Institution.
A full bag of unknown Christmas facts indeed. We hope you read through each and share it with your friends this Christmas.
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