Christmas
- The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, or “Christ’s Mass.” The abbreviation X-mas originated from the word Christ, which in Greek is chi, and also identical to the letter ‘X’
- Why on the 25th of December? In the time of Christ, there was a common Jewish belief that the prophets died on the on the same date as their conception. According to certain calculations, Christ was crucified on 25 March, thus signifying His conception. 9 months after 25th March is the 25th December. Others say that the celebration date was set to replace popular pagan winter solstice celebrations
- Christmas was only celebrated 440 years after Jesus died
- The twelve days of Christmas represent the time it took the wise men to visit the manger of Jesus
- The use of evergreen “Christmas” trees during winter celebrations is actually pre-Christian
- The first decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510
- Most artificial trees are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, where Christians are the minority
- Teddy Roosevelt banned the Christmas tree from the White House for environmental reasons
- English Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas between 1647 and 1660 because he believed such celebrations were immoral for the holiest day of the year
- In Australia, the postal service says that approximately 120,000 letters are addressed to Santa yearly
- Santa has 2 addresses: Letters addressed to “Toyland” or “Snowland” go to Edinburgh and those to the “North pole” actually go to the North pole
- Father Christmas, was based on St. Nicholas who is also the patron saint of pawnbrokers among many of his patronage
- 3 years after Edison invented the light bulb, he was presented with the first Christmas tree bulbs
- Santa’s reindeers took their name from the poem “A visit from St. Nicholas”
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