Merry Christmas from Christenberry Collection to you and your family!
Christmas can be filled with laughter, presents, family, and sugary treats, but have you ever wondered about some of the Christmas traditions we celebrate? We found 20 interesting Christmas facts that might surprise you and give you a hand up on the Christmas conversations during the holidays:
- Santa Clause flying in his sleigh was first created by an author named Washington Irving in 1819.
- Montgomery Ward, a department store in Chicago, was the first place to publish Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rudolph also did not have a red nose for the early years of his cartoon life.
- The Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square (The main square in Westminster, London) is donated by Norway each year and erected for 12 days before and after Christmas as a thank you for the help received in WWII.
- The three main colors that represent Christmas are red, green, and gold.
- Tinsel originated in Germany in 1610 and was real silver for many years.
- If you gave all of the gifts in the 12 Days of Christmas song, you would give 364 gifts.
- In 1988, Denny's (the American food chain) decided to close for Christmas for the first time. Closing for Christmas was tough for the food chain because the doors were not made with locks from originally being open 24/7.
- Just under 30 lego sets are sold around the world every second of December each year.
- The first company to utilize Santa as a marketing tool was Coca-Cola, where he was printed on their bottles.
- In 1886 the French government gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States government on Christmas Day. Some could argue this is the biggest Christmas gift ever given.
- Even though we have entered the digital information age, more than 3 billion Christmas cards are still sent each year in the United States.
- Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states (even Hawaii!!).
- Alabama became the first US State to declare Christmas a legal holiday in 1836.
- The first Christmas postage stamp was published in 1962.
- 'One Horse Open Sleigh' was first performed for a Thanksgiving concert in Savannah, Georgia. It wasn't until later it became known as a Christmas carol called 'Jingle Bells.'
- Emergency Room Visits are increased by more than 10,000 each year in the holiday season (Be careful this year!).
- According to the box office numbers, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is the best Christmas movie of all time.
- In the early centuries of the holiday, families decorated their Christmas trees with fruit and not ornaments like today.
- December 26 is known in the United Kingdom as Boxing Day and is considered another national holiday there.
- (Last but not least) It wasn't until 1991 that fake Christmas trees began to outsell real Christmas trees.
What other Christmas facts have surprised you? The list could go on and on including the fact that Angels are still the favorite tree-topper. Holiday Art has always included Angels and Trees, and this year does not disappoint:
It is never too late to give the gift of art. Shop our full collection HERE.
-Christenberry Collection Team