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 Christmas
is just around the corner! Many
children all over the world look forward to the festive holiday. It’s a lot
of fun to share delicious foods and good
times with our family. If you have been good, you will get a nice
present from Santa, too!
Yes, Christmas is one of the most fun times of the year. But how much
do you know about Christmas? Before you enjoy the fun holiday, let’s
learn some interesting facts about Christmas!
Christmas is Jesus Christ’s birthday. We celebrate the day on December
25 every year. Sometime during the 4th century, Pope Julius I declared Christ’s birthday
as December 25.
The word Christmas is old English, a contraction of “Christ’s
Mass.”
Christmas became a national U.S. holiday in 1870. Alabama was the
first state in America to declare
Christmas day as a legal holiday.
Oklahoma was the last U.S. state to declare Christmas day as a legal
holiday in 1907.
The tradition of hanging stockings over the fireplace came from Dutch children placing their
shoes next to the fireplace on
Christmas Eve. Stockings later replaced the shoes.
 Austria
issued the first Christmas
stamp in 1937.
The first United States President to decorate the White House
Christmas tree was Franklin Pierce. He brought a Christmas tree into
the White House for the first time in 1856.
The first Christmas card was designed by John Horsley in 1840 but
was not sold until 1843.
The red stripe in the candy cane was intended by the inventor as the blood of Christ.
More diamonds are sold around Christmas than any
other time of the year.
Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa
commercially.
Electric lights for trees
were first used in 1895.
Charles Dickens’ famous book, “A Christmas
Carol” was written in just 6 weeks.
In Greek, “X” means Christ. That is where
the word “X-mas” comes from.
Traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head
of a pig prepared with mustard.
Rudolph was created by Montgomery
Ward, a retailer in the U.S., in
the late 1930s for a holiday promotion.
 “Jingle
Bells” was first written for Thanksgiving. But later it
became one of the most popular Christmas carol songs.
Christmas caroling began as an old English custom, wishing neighbors a long and healthy
life.
Christmas trees are edible. The needles on pines,
spruces and firs are actually a good source of
Vitamin C and the pine cones are a good source
of nutrition. So forget about baked cookies
and go munch on your Christmas tree!
“The Nutcracker” is the most famous
Christmas ballet. |
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