Christmas Cheer – Some Fun Facts
We found these in the English newspaper, “The Mirror” and thought it would be fun to share them with you.1 US scientists calculated that Santa would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world’s presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second.
2. According to Celtic and Teutonic legend, mistletoe is magical — it can heal wounds, increase fertility, bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe didn’t begin until the Victorian era, a surprising origin given the stuffy and sexually repressive behavior of the time. Actually, it’s not very surprising at all!
3 Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
4 The tradition of putting tangerines in stockings comes from 12th-century French nuns who left socks full of fruit, nuts and tangerines at the houses of the poor.
5 Despite the tale of three wise men paying homage to baby Jesus, the Bible never gives a number. Matthew’s Gospel refers to merely “wise men”.
6 Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life and were not sun in churches until they were introduced by St Francis of Assisi in the 13th century.
7 The word Noel derives from the French expression “les bonnes nouvelles” or “the good news
8 The abbreviation Xmas isn’t irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
9 James Pierpont’s 1857 song Jingle Bells was first called One Horse Open Sleigh and was written for Thanksgiving.
10 The holly in a wreath symbolizes Christ’s crown of thorns while the red berries are drops of his blood.
11 Santa has different names around the world – Kriss Kringle in Germany, Le Befana in Italy, Pere Noel in France and Deushka Moroz (Grandfather Frost) in Russia.
12 The word Christmas comes from the Old English “Cristes maesse” meaning “Christ’s Mass”.
13 The bestselling Xmas single ever is Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, selling over 50million copies worldwide since 1942.
14 Christmas pudding was originally a soup made with raisins and wine.
15 London sweetmaker (candy maker) Tom Smith is created with creating the first Christmas crackers in 1847, based on the sweet wrapper design.
16 Kissing under the mistletoe is thought to spring from Frigga, the Norse goddess of love, who was associated with the plant.
17 Electric tree lights were invented by Edward Johnson in the US in 1882.
18 Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm’s Christmas promotion in 1938.
19 In Greece, Italy, Spain and Germany, workers get a Christmas bonus of one month’s salary by law.
20 Gold-wrapped chocolate coins commemorate St Nicholas who gave bags of gold coins to the poor.
A little bit of trivia is always fun! Enjoy …… hold onto your joy throughout the season, no matter what!
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My glory, ladies! By the time you’re finished with me I’ll have a Masters’ degree in useful knowledge. I learn so much from the two of you every day.
One tiny update on #13: I attended a show at The Geffin Playhouse last week to see Hershey Felder doing his one man show of Irving Berlin. Yes, White Christmas is still the #1 selling song of all time with over 100 million copies sold. And 25 people have recorded it and made a #1 hit from it.
So, now you know “the rest of the story.”
Thanks for that update, Dick. We know the show must have been wonderful!
Interesting facts, Thanks. I’m curious how dull or wrong number 2 must have been for you to leave it out.
Thanks so much, Lara, for pointing that out! Not boring nor inconsequential at all …… we have just fixed the “glitch”. Hope you enjoy it.