12 facts about Christmas you may not know
Christmas comes but once a year and with many traditions. So many in fact that we probably don't even know where most originate from. We've picked out some Christmas trivia to give you 12 facts about Christmas you may not know!
Get into the spirit of the season with these 12 ways to feel festive
1. Origins of the Christmas tree
Some may already know that it was Prince Albert and Queen Victoria who started the tradition of Christmas trees in the UK. Ever since a picture showing the royals around the tree appeared in Illustrated London News in 1848, decorating trees has become a long-standing tradition.
But the origins of the Christmas tree come from a long time before Victoria and Albert. The idea of decorating evergreen trees dates back to ancient Roman and Egyptian times. Trees, such as fir or pine, alongside wreaths and garlands all date back from these historical periods.
The modern Christmas tree as we know it today though didn't appear until the 16th Century in Germany. That's also where Prince Albert got the idea from. Maybe even Julius Caeser or Cleopatra had a fir tree at Christmas. Who knows? Lights and baubles didn't exist then (obviously!), instead trees were decorated with fruits and nuts.
See these tips for choosing a real Christmas tree.
2. Santa Who?
Santa as we know him today hasn't always been the same. He hasn't always been the jolly man dressed in red who comes once every year with his 8 reindeer. Bonus points if you can name them all! The legend of Santa Claus started out a lot differently.
You may already know that Santa Claus can be traced back to a man name Saint Nicholas. But who was he? Once upon a time there was a monk called St Nicholas. Legend has it that St Nic was known to give away his wealth and travel to aid the sick and poor.
His popularity soon spread becoming known as a protector of Children. News travelled as far America when it was reported that Dutch families had gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the Saints death on December 6th.
3. Fizzing Santa
With news of the popular Saint reaching America at the end of the 17th Century, the seed was set for a big brand to create the image of Santa Claus. Before that though, Saint Nicholas became known as Santa Claus, evolving from his Dutch surname Sinter Klass.
Fast forward to 1931 and Coca Cola were beginning a new advertising campaign. Coca Cola hired an illustrator called Haddon Sundblom to design a Santa Claus for their advertising. Coca Cola didn't create Santa Claus, but they have helped in creating the Santa Claus we all know today.
Before then, Santa Claus didn't have a universal appearance, with different cultures using different depictions, sometimes even scary depictions. All the distinguishing features, such as the white beard, red suit, and jolly personality, all derive from Coca Cola's advertising efforts. Just goes to show the power of advertising, right?
4. Shining Bright Nose
So, we've covered where Santa Claus originates from. But what about his reindeer that helps pull his sleigh? An 1823 poem called The Night Before Christmas (not to be confused with the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas) helped to catapult Santa's reindeer into Christmas tradition.
The poem focuses on a family settling in for the night on Christmas Eve only to be disturbed by noises from outside. Looking outside, the family sees Santa Claus in a sleigh pulled by 8 reindeer to deliver gifts by entering the chimney. No Rudolph yet though (poor Rudolph!).
The poem became immensely popular helping to spring the idea of Santa sleigh being pulled by reindeer. Rudolph came onto the scene much later in the 20th century thanks to popular culture. A 1939 storybook called Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the song of the same name by Gene Autry in 1949 helped add Rudolph as the ninth reindeer (with his bright red nose).
5. A glass of milk and cookies
No doubt if you have kids, you'll leave a glass of milk and a plate of cookies (or a mince pie) out for Santa on Christmas Eve. But do you know where the idea comes from? You may be surprised to find the tradition of leaving milk and cookies originates from a long time ago.
The tradition goes back to Yuletide and St Nicholas day (yes there's a day in Advent, the 6th of December, that celebrates the man behind Father Christmas!). In Norse mythology, it is said people would leave offerings on Yuletide for Odin's mythical horse. People believed if they left an offering, their God would pay a visit.
Fast forward to St Nicholas Day, kids would leave their shoes out in the foyer at bedtime hoping St Nicholas would leave a coin inside. Kids also believed that if they left snacks out for St Nicholas, he would be more likely to leave gifts for the morning. That's the origin of why we leave cookies and milk out for Santa. Don't forget a carrot for Rudolph too!
Read more about the history of cookies and milk for Santa.
6. Santa's residence
Why does Santa live at the North Pole? Historian Fiona Halloran states it all began with a popular 19th century cartoonist, Thomas Nast. Well known for his political cartoons, Nast was a strong force in 19th century politics.
But what does politics have to do with the North Pole? Because Nast had become so well known for his political cartoons, the same would be true for his other cartoons. Around 1860, he created some famous Christmas illustrations.
As these Christmas illustrations were so popular, they became an annual tradition. A couple of these illustrations hinted at Santa living at the North Pole. At the time, many explorers tried to reach the North Pole, making it a topical item. The two have been inexplicably linked ever since.
Build your own North Pole with a winter garden.
7. Christmas baubles
Every year, we break out the festive decorations and hang them on the tree. Somehow, Christmas wouldn't seem the same without these Christmas decorations. But given trees were originally decorated with nuts and fruits, where did the bauble come from?
Hans Greiner can be attributed as an early pioneer of the Christmas baubles that we know so well. Hans is credited as being the first to make glass baubles, by creating garlands of glass beads and tin figures to hang on Christmas trees.
From there, other glassblowers soon hopped on the bandwagon by creating their own designs, helping to spark the popularity of Christmas baubles. That, and the picture we mentioned earlier of Victoria and Albert in front of the tree, sparked imports of decorations throughout Europe.
Check out these Christmas decorations you'll love at Hilltop.
8. Mince pies
Love them or hate them, Mince Pies have become a staple Christmas treat. But where did they come from? Mince pies have been around for centuries and have seen a few changes over the years. Original mince pies were designed in a rectangular shape to represent baby Jesus' manger, sometimes even with a pastry baby Jesus on top.
It was during the Georgian and Stuart times that the mince pie started to take different shapes. During these periods, the mince pie was a status symbol at Christmas. A popular item at parties, the rich liked to show off by having their mince pies made in all different shapes, including crescents, hearts, and flowers.
However, nowadays the round shape has stuck. As for the name, traditional mince pies used to be filled with minced meat, such as lamb. That's where the name mincemeat comes from. We don't have meat in our mince pies anymore, but the name has stuck. Now, where's the cream?
9. Gobble, gobble
If you are a traditionalist, no doubt you'll be tucking into a nice turkey for your Christmas dinner this year. In the UK, it's estimated we eat about 10 million turkeys at Christmas. That's a lot of turkey! But given the wide range of meat, why has turkey stuck as a traditional Christmas favourite? Gobble, gobble.
Well, our old monarch Henry VIII is the reason. Apart from having 6 wives, Henry VIII also liked to have his picking from a large buffet every day. He must've really liked his food. Not only did Henry VIII have a sweet tooth, but he also liked his meat. Towards the end of the Tudor era, banquets started to become much more creative.
Once the New World (or America as we know it today) was discovered, Turkeys started to hit our shores. With Henry VIII choosing to make the bird a Christmas staple and Queen Vic reopening trading with America, Turkeys became a Christmas staple.
10. Rocking around the Christmas tree
No doubt the festive season won't pass without you hearing the song Rocking Around the Christmas Tree. Apart from Kevin McCallister dancing shamelessly to this song in Home Alone, there's more to know about this classic holiday song.
Released back in 1959, the original singer, Brenda Lee, was only 12 when she recorded the tune. Songwriter Johnny Marks had a specific voice in mind when penning the Christmas classic. Known as “Little Miss Dynamite”, Lee was chosen for her fiery vocals.
While only peaking at No. 6 on the charts in the UK back in 1962 (on its original UK release), the song has endured. In 2017, the song reached no. 9 on the charts and, in January 2022, topped its original 1962 charting position, reaching no. 5. Not bad for a song that's 60 years old and failed to chart for its 2 initial US releases in 1958 and 1959.
11. The wrong Birthday
Christmas is well known as the day Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. So, you may be surprised to find that Jesus wasn't born on Christmas day. The birth of Jesus on December 25th came to be after Pope Julius I decreed Christmas would be celebrated on that date.
Many Historians believe this is due to the date falling on the Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival celebrating the god of Saturn. It's believed Jesus was born sometime in the Spring. Fancy that. Imagine celebrating Christmas near Easter.
12. A strange sort of Christmas...
Here in the UK, we have many traditions that make Christmas that extra bit special. But there are some traditions and customs in other places around the world that we may think are strange. Here are a few examples:
- - Eating KFC at Christmas is a Japanese tradition. Maybe they believe in Colonel Sanders?
- - A Norwegian tradition is to hide all brooms on Christmas Eve, as they believe the date coincides with the arrival of evil spirits and witches (cackling laughter please).
- - In Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, a custom is for locals to attend early morning mass on roller skates. Better get your skates on!
- - To every Sherlock Holmes there is a Moriarty. The same is true with Saint Nicholas. Krampus is the Moriarty of Saint Nicholas. In Austria, they believe Krampus is a demon like creature that punishes bad children before Christmas. Better make sure you don't end up on the naughty list then!
- - A Greenland delicacy is to eat Muktuk and kiviak at Christmas. Muktuk is raw whale skin, and if you thought that was bad enough, kiviak is made with an auk (a small artic bird) wrapped in seal skin, which is buried for several months and eating the decomposed flesh (yuck!). After that, you won't be complaining about sprouts on your plate.
With the many traditions and festivities that we embrace at Christmas, there is plenty to learn. Hopefully, you will have learnt something from these 12 facts and given you something to impress friends and family over Christmas dinner (although it's best not mentioning about the Kiviak). Anyway, Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas in Spanish) and a happy new year!
Light your way to a perfect Christmas with our guide to Christmas lights