Christmas Facts

    Christmas may have begun modestly, but it has turned into the biggest celebration in the entire world.  It is considered the fourth most important Christian date behind Easter, Pentecost, and Epiphany.  The Christmas holiday is celebrated on December 25 of each year.  Did you know that the earliest Christians did not celebrate Christmas?  There is actually a lot of disagreement of when Jesus was born, and many at the time did not believe in celebrating birthdays. 

    December 25 has a greater meaning in many cultures.  Arabs believed that the moon was born on December 24.  The ancient Babylonians were of the belief that the son of the queen of heaven was born on December 25.  Even the Egyptians had a celebration on this date, which was when they celebrated the birth of the son of the fertility goddess Isis on December 25. 

     Romans were the ones to celebrate a pagan holiday called Saturnalia, which was a feast for Saturn, who was the god of agriculture.  This was celebrated on December 21 of every year, which was the winter solstice of the northern hemisphere.  It was their belief that the shortest day of the year was the day of birth for the sun.  Constantine, the Roman empire, was a member of this pagan belief until he ended up converting to Christianity in 312.

     It is believed that December 25 was chosen as the date to celebrate the birth of Christ because they wanted to compete with the pagan tribes during their sun festival and convert them to Christianity. 

     Although many  wanted Christmas to become a religious holiday celebrating the birth of Christ, it has become more of a joyful holiday tradition more similar to those of pagan cultures.  In fact, some Christians objected to this holiday.  Oliver Cromwell of England banned the holiday, but King Charles II restored the holiday to the nation when he became King. In the United States, groups such as Puritans, Quakers, Presbyterians, and Baptists were opposed to the festivities, but Anglicans, Lutherans, Catholics, and Dutch Reformed were in approval of the Christmas festivities.  In America, these celebrations became more popular during the middle of the 19th century.  The Charles Dickens novel, A Christmas Carol changed the perception of the holiday, transitioning it into a family event. 

Interesting Christmas Facts

• The average American household will mail 28 Christmas cards in a year.

• The official Christmas tree of the United States is in King's Canyon National Park located in California.  The tree is called "General Grant Tree," and is a giant sequoia that towers over 300 feet tall.  It has been the official Christmas tree since 1925. 
  

• The first state in the United States to recognize Christmas as a national holiday was Alabama, and this tradition started in 1836. 
  

• Americans buy approximately 37.1 million real Christmas trees annually.

• The top Christmas tree producing states are California, Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.  The top producer is Oregon.

• The first candy canes were actually white sticks of sugar candy that decorated the Christmas trees.  They didn't obtain their red stripes until sometime in the 20th century. 
  

• Christmas trees can be edible, and many parts of firs, spruces, and pines are able to be eaten.  The pine needles are said to be a good source of vitamin C.  Pine cones and pine nuts are also considered to have good nutritional value. 
  

• During the Christmas season, close to two billion candy canes will be produced. 
  

• The first time electric Christmas tree lights were used was in 1895.  These new lights were safer than the candles that were used earlier.

• The first American president to decorate an official White House Christmas tree was Franklin Pierce. 
  

• Christmas was declared illegal in 1647 by Oliver Cromwell in England.  He believed that feasting and revelry were immoral on a day that was intended to be a holy day.  This ban was overturned in 1660. 
  

• The last state in the United States to declare Christmas a national holiday was Oklahoma, and this happened in 1907.

• Toys for Tots began organizing Christmas toy drives for needy children in 1947. 
  

• The biggest shopping weeks for the year occur in the weeks just before Christmas, and many stores will see 70% of their yearly revenue in just the few weeks before Christmas.

• In the United States, children hang stockings to get small gifts, but for Dutch children put out their shoes to receive gifts, and this could occur between the middle of November and December 5. 
  

• Mistletoe was long believed to have magic powers according to the Teutonic and Celtic people.  It could also heal wounds and increase one's fertility.  Today it is used to encourage kissing.

• There are more diamonds purchased during the Christmas season than at any other time in the year.

• There are over three billion Christmas cards sent every year in the United States alone.

• The names of Santa's reindeers are Dasher, Dancer, Pranceer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen.

• The poinsettia is an American Christmas flower, and it came from Mexico originally.  It was first brought to the United States by Joel Poinsett in 1829.