Fun Facts About Christmas

1. Jingle Bells was the first song to ever be played in space, astronauts of flight Gemini 6A played the song on Dec. 16, 1965.
2. Spiders are a Christmas symbol in Ukraine, there are often spider ornaments placed on their trees. This is a nod to an old story of spiders using their web to decorate the tree of a poor widow and her children.
3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally created for advertising. According to Smithsonian Insider, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first appeared in 1939 when Montgomery Ward department store asked one of its copywriters, 34-year-old Robert L. May, to create a Christmas story the store could give away to shoppers as a promotional gimmick.”
4. Tinsel used to be made of real silver. Tinsel being put on Christmas trees dates back to the 1600s in Nuremburg, Germany. Since silver was expensive, it was a status symbol if you were able to decorate the tree with it.
5. The Statue of Liberty is the biggest Christmas gift that was given. The French gave the U.S. the statue around the holidays in 1886, it is 151 feet tall and weighs 225 tons.
6. Disney World decorates for the holidays with 8.5 million lights. This includes all four theme parks, two water parks and more than 24 hotels becoming completely outfitted for the holidays.
7. There are more than 630 types of Christmas trees. The most popular are balsam fir, Douglas fir, and Fraser fir.
8. Christmas trees are grown in all fifty states, including Alaska and Hawaii!
9. The biggest gathering of elves in the United States is called Elfapalooza and it takes place in Mobile, Alabama. This includes karaoke, best elf contests and an elf march.
10. Christmas hasn’t always been on December 25. Even though Christmas is thought of celebrating the birth of Jesus, historians believe he was actually born in spring. They think the 25^th was chosen because it takes place around the same time as the pagan festival Saturnalia, which honors the god Saturn with gift-giving and celebrating.
11. Coca-Cola played a large part in how Santa Claus is depicted. Before Coca-Cola started to advertise with Santa, he didn’t look nearly as jolly. In 1931, an illustrator was hired by Coca-Cola and made Santa the way we know him today.

12. Celebrating Christmas used to be illegal in the colonies. From 1659-1681, people were fined if they were caught celebrating. Christmas had such a little impact on people, Congress had their first session on December 25, 1789 after the Revolutionary War.
13. After the holidays, you can throw your Christmas tree away, or you could donate it to a zoo as a snack for elephants. Most zoos accept evergreens to feed the large mammals.
14. There is a theme park in Canada called Santa’s Village. It’s open all year and is located in a town called Bracebridge, Ontario.
15. People in Japan eat KFC on Christmas. 3.6 million Japanese families enjoy it every year on the holiday.
16. Children have been leaving Santa milk and cookies since 1896.
17. There’s a town in Alaska called North Pole. Letters addressed to the North Pole get sent there, and community volunteers do their best to make sure each letter gets answered. Santa Claus lives in the Santa Claus House and sometimes you can even see Mrs. Claus. There are also reindeer you can visit in this area.

If you want to learn more check out my sources below!

  Desirée O December 24, 2020. “55 Fun Christmas Facts to Get You in the Holiday Spirit.” Best Life, 23 Dec. 2020, https://bestlifeonline.com/christmas-facts/.

Fogle, Asher. “35 Fun Christmas Facts to Share with Your Family.” Good Housekeeping, Good Housekeeping, 8 Nov. 2021, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/g2972/surprising-christmas-facts/.

“A Truly Unique Destination: North Pole in Alaska.” Alaska Tours, 3 Oct. 2019, https://alaskatours.com/alaska-stories/a-truly-unique-destination-north-pole-in-alaska/.