Did you know this about Christmas?

Did you know this about Christmas?

1. Did you know that the Christmas Tree first came to America in 1830s but did not gain popularity until 1846, when German’s Prince Albert married Queen Victoria? They were sketched in front of a tree and it became an instant tradition.

2. Most of us know the story of St. Nicholas, but did you know he is credited with the tradition of Christmas Stockings? The story goes that a poor man with three daugthers didn’t have the dowry needed for when the oldest was ready to marry.  One night St. Nicholas dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and it fell into a stocking drying near the fireplace.

3. Did you know that Santa Claus has not always worn red? He can be found wearing blue, white or green?  In the 1930s Coca Cola ran an ad with Santa in the red suit and he has worn it ever since.

4. Did you know the image of Santa Claus riding in a sleigh started in 1819 by Washington Irving, the author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?

5. Did you know that Rudolph was created by Montgomery Ward as a marketing play to sell their holiday coloring books?

6. Did you know that Rudolph originally was named Reginald and was a moose?. But he was later changed to a deer named Rudolph

7. Did you know in the original poem, “A Visit form St. Nicholas”, Donner and Blitzen were named Duner and Blixem?

8. Did you know the first batch of eggnog in America was crafted by the Jamestown settlement in 1607? The name eggnog comes from the word “grog” which refers to any drink made with rum.

9. Did you know that there are over 7833 different copyrighted versions of “Silent Night”?

10. Did you know the original lyrics to “Hark! The Herald Angel Sings” were “Hark! How the Welkin Rings”? Welkin is an old English term for Heaven.

11. Did you know that “Jingle Bells” was originally supposed to be a Thanksgiving song?

12. Did you know if you received all the gifts in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” you would receive 364 gifts?

13. Did you know that the first Christmas card was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole and illustrated by John Callcott Horsley in 1843?

14. Did you know that because of all the time zones in the world, Santa has 31 hours to get all the presents delivered?

15. Did you know that Santa has to visit 822 homes a second and travel 650 miles a second to deliver all the presents on Christmas Eve?

16. Did you know that Alabama was the first state to officially recognize Christmas as a holiday in 1836?

17. Did you know that Christmas was declared an official holiday in 1870 by the United States?

18. Did you know the first song ever broadcast was a Christmas Carol? On Christmas Eve, 1906, a Canadian inventor Reginald Fessende play “O Holy Night” on the violin from his radio tower in Massachusetts.

19. Did you know that Scrooge’s infamous words, “Bah Humbug” was originally written to be “Bah Christmas, but Charles Dickens’ decided to change it?

20. :Did you know that Santa made his first appearance in a department store in 1841 in Philadelphia?

 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!