‘Tis the season for glad tidings, gifts galore, and family gatherings. Christmas has a whole bunch of meanings wrapped up into one special day. For us, it could mark the date of Christ’s birth, stir fond family memories, or remind us of a past present we were given. Or even all of the above. However, there’s more to this holiday than you might expect. We’ve laid out some Christmas trivia you may (or may not) know about.
Christmas beats out Black Friday for shopping.
The two days right before Christmas, Dec. 23 and Christmas Eve, are the busiest shopping days of the year.
We procrastinate when it comes to presents.
Especially men. It’s estimated that 1 in 3 men delay their Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve.
X-mas means more than you think.
The “X” in X-mas does not actually cut Christ out. It’s not an abbreviation at all; the “X” stands for Chi, which means Christ in Greek.
Merry was not always accepted.
In the past, the word merry was frowned upon because of its connotation with being intoxicated.
The mistletoe has a racy heritage.
Mistletoes used to be considered an aphrodisiac by some cultures, including the Ancient Greeks. That puts a little more spin on the saying “let’s meet under the mistletoe!”
Christmas is better with the colonel.
In Japan, it’s customary to celebrate Christmas with KFC chicken. It’s so popular that one has to reserve his or her finger lickin’ good bucket months in advance.
Candy canes have religious origins.
Invented in Germany, the “J” shape of candy canes actually stands for Jesus. The red stripes that adorn the canes signify his blood.
Christmas trees take a while to mature.
The trees that take up our living rooms and nestle presents aren’t sold as Christmas trees until after at least 15 years of growth.
Rudolph began as an advertising ploy.
The story of our favorite red-nosed reindeer had roots in an advertising campaign back in 1839 for Montgomery Ward. It seems to have worked rather well. We see our crimson-snouted pal every Christmas.
Christmas was illegal.
Back in the Puritans’ day, people were barred from celebrating Christmas. If caught, you could face a hefty fine. The last state to decree Christmas a legal holiday was Oklahoma in 1907.
Christmas leftovers leave many sick.
Sometimes you just have to let those leftovers go. Spoiled Christmas leftovers have caused more than 400,000 illnesses. That’s some Christmas trivia that will make you think twice before grabbing the two-week-old holiday ham!
Good Christmas jingles make for high-grossing singles.
To date, Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” has sold more copies than any other single made.
St. Nick has a zip code.
The Canadian Post Office established a zip code for Santa as part of a Santa letter-writing literacy program. Postal workers sometimes even answer the mail sent. You can send Santa a message to this zip code: HOH OHO.
The classic “Jingle Bells” was not always a Christmas song.
Originally written as part of a Thanksgiving concert, this now-classic Christmas song switched titles in 1857 and joined the fold of Christmas tunes later on.
‘Tis the season to spend.
On average, Visa cards are swiped 6,000 times each minute during the Christmas holidays.
Summary
The holidays have many things we may not be aware of, including this list of Christmas trivia. Sometimes it’s refreshing to gain some new perspective, even about this special day.
Speaking of refreshing, that’s certainly what you’ll find at Summer Brooke. Our apartment homes have something for everyone, kind of like the Christmas season itself. Check out everything we have to offer to our residents on our main site. If you want more interesting tidbits and info bites, remember to keep returning to our blog!