100 Fascinating Christmas Facts You Never Knew 🎄✨

1.Santa Claus is based on the real person St. Nicholas of Myra, who lived in modern-day Turkey during the 4th century AD.

2.The modern image of Santa Claus in red and white was popularized by Coca-Cola advertising campaigns in the 1930s, though he wore red before that too.

3.According to NORAD, Santa must travel at 650 miles per second to deliver presents to all children on Christmas Eve.

4.Santa has different names around the world: Père Noël (France), Weihnachtsmann (Germany), Babbo Natale (Italy), and Sinterklaas (Netherlands).

5.The tradition of leaving cookies and milk for Santa started during the Great Depression as a way to teach children gratitude.

6.Santa's reindeer were first named in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (also known as "The Night Before Christmas").

7.Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 by a Montgomery Ward copywriter for a promotional coloring book.

8.In Finland, Santa Claus is believed to live in Lapland, specifically in Korvatunturi, north of the Arctic Circle.

9.The United States Postal Service receives over 500,000 letters addressed to Santa Claus every year.

10.Santa's workshop at the North Pole employs approximately 13,000 elves according to various Christmas folklore calculations.

11.Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition in the 16th century when Christians brought decorated trees into their homes.

12.The first Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was erected in 1931 by construction workers during the Great Depression.

13.Approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States every year.

14.It takes about 7-10 years for a Christmas tree to grow to average height (6-7 feet).

15.The tallest Christmas tree ever displayed was a 221-foot Douglas fir in Seattle, Washington in 1950.

16.Tinsel was originally made from real silver, but now it's made from PVC plastic for safety and cost reasons.

17.The tradition of electric Christmas lights was started by Thomas Edison's associate, Edward Johnson, in 1882.

18.Oregon produces the most Christmas trees in the United States, followed by North Carolina and Michigan.

19.The world's most expensive Christmas tree was valued at over $11 million, decorated in Abu Dhabi with gold and precious gems.

20.Artificial Christmas trees originated in Germany during the 19th century, made from dyed goose feathers.

21.Americans spend approximately $1 trillion on Christmas shopping each year.

22.The tradition of Christmas stockings comes from the legend of St. Nicholas dropping gold coins down a chimney, which landed in socks drying by the fire.

23.Black Friday got its name in the 1960s when retailers finally went "into the black" (became profitable) for the year.

24.The most popular Christmas gift of all time is the Teddy Bear, first given as a Christmas present in 1902.

25.Approximately 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the United States each year.

26.The first Christmas card was created in London in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole.

27.Cyber Monday was created in 2005 by the National Retail Federation to encourage online shopping.

28.The average American spends around $900 on Christmas gifts each year.

29.Gift wrapping paper usage increases by approximately 80% during the Christmas season.

30.The "12 Days of Christmas" gifts would cost approximately $45,000 if purchased today (according to PNC Financial Services).

31."Jingle Bells" was originally written for Thanksgiving, not Christmas, in 1857.

32."Silent Night" has been translated into over 300 languages and dialects.

33.Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is the best-selling single of all time, with over 50 million copies sold.

34."The Twelve Days of Christmas" was originally created as a secret catechism song for Catholics in England during persecution.

35.The song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was sung by Gene Autry in 1949 and sold 2 million copies that year.

36."O Holy Night" was the first song ever broadcast on radio on Christmas Eve, 1906.

37.Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" earns her approximately $2.5 million in royalties every year.

38."Jingle Bell Rock" was written in just 15 minutes by Bobby Helms in 1957.

39.The oldest known Christmas carol still sung today is "Jesus Refulsit Omnium" (Jesus, Light of All the Nations) from the 4th century.

40.The average American will hear "Jingle Bells" approximately 1,500 times between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

41.The tradition of eating turkey for Christmas dinner became popular in England in the 16th century.

42.Gingerbread houses were inspired by the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" published in 1812.

43.Candy canes were created in Germany around 1670 to keep children quiet during church services.

44.The red and white stripes on candy canes are said to represent the blood and purity of Jesus Christ.

45.Americans consume approximately 22 million turkeys during Christmas.

46.Eggnog has been a Christmas tradition since medieval times when it was called "posset."

47.Christmas pudding in England traditionally contains a silver coin for good luck.

48.The world's largest gingerbread house was built in Texas in 2013 and measured 60 feet by 42 feet.

49.Starbucks sells approximately 150 million Peppermint Mochas during the holiday season.

50.Mince pies were originally made with meat, but modern versions are typically vegetarian with dried fruits and spices.

51."It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) was considered a box office flop initially and only became popular in the 1970s.

52."Home Alone" (1990) is the highest-grossing Christmas movie of all time, earning over $476 million worldwide.

53."A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens has been adapted into over 100 films and TV productions.

54.The Grinch's heart is "two sizes too small" according to Dr. Seuss's classic tale.

55."Elf" (2003) took only 32 days to film but grossed over $220 million worldwide.

56.The leg lamp in "A Christmas Story" became so iconic that 50,000 replicas have been sold.

57."Miracle on 34th Street" won three Academy Awards including Best Supporting Actor for Edmund Gwenn.

58."Die Hard" remains the most debated movie regarding whether it's a Christmas movie or not.

59.Tim Allen's "The Santa Clause" spawned two sequels and helped revive family Christmas movies in the 1990s.

60."The Polar Express" was one of the first major motion pictures to use motion capture technology throughout.

61.In Japan, Christmas is more of a romantic holiday similar to Valentine's Day than a family celebration.

62.In Ethiopia, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th following the ancient Julian calendar.

63.In Australia, where Christmas falls in summer, beach barbecues are a popular Christmas Day tradition.

64.Iceland has 13 different Santa Clauses called the Yule Lads who visit children over 13 nights.

65.In Venezuela, it's traditional to roller skate to church on Christmas morning.

66.Christmas was illegal in Massachusetts from 1659 to 1681, with a fine of five shillings for celebrating.

67.In Norway, it's tradition to hide all brooms on Christmas Eve to prevent witches from stealing them.

68.The Philippines holds the world's longest Christmas season, starting in September and lasting until January.

69.In Ukraine, finding a spider web on Christmas morning is considered good luck.

70.About 2 billion people worldwide celebrate Christmas, making it the most widely observed cultural holiday.

71.The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336 AD during the time of Roman Emperor Constantine.

72.Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday in the United States until June 26, 1870.

73.The Christmas wreath represents eternal life and God's endless love, with no beginning or end.

74.Boxing Day (December 26th) originated in the UK when servants received "Christmas boxes" from their employers.

75.The first decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510.

76.Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, popularized the Christmas tree in England in 1848.

77.The term "Xmas" isn't a modern abbreviation - the "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, representing Christ.

78.The Christmas cracker was invented in 1847 by British confectioner Tom Smith.

79.The Puritans banned Christmas in England from 1647 to 1660 because they saw it as pagan.

80.The first Christmas stamp was issued in Canada in 1898.

81.The chances of having a white Christmas (snow on the ground on December 25th) in New York City are about 18%.

82.NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) has been tracking Santa since 1955 due to a misprint in a Sears advertisement.

83.In 2008, a Canadian postal code H0H 0H0 was assigned to Santa Claus at the North Pole.

84.The world record for most lights on a Christmas tree is 518,838 bulbs on a 72-foot tree in Belgium.

85.Mistletoe is from the Anglo-Saxon word "misteltan," which means "little dung twig" because it spreads through bird droppings.

86.Kissing under the mistletoe supposedly started with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later became a custom in 18th century England.

87.Poinsettias are native to Mexico and were introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Roberts Poinsett.

88.The world's largest snowman was built in Bethel, Maine in 2008 and stood 122 feet tall.

89.December 25th is also the birthday of Isaac Newton (1642), Humphrey Bogart (1899), and Justin Trudeau (1971).

90.The "Christmas Pickle" ornament tradition supposedly brings good luck to whoever finds it first on Christmas morning.

91.NASA astronauts on the International Space Station can see approximately 16 sunrises and sunsets on Christmas Day as they orbit Earth.

92.Oklahoma was the last U.S. state to declare Christmas a legal holiday in 1907.

93.The first commercial Christmas lights were available in 1890 but cost $300 (equivalent to about $8,000 today).

94.An average Christmas tree takes about 15 years to reach typical height but can live for centuries if not cut.

95.The Christmas season generates approximately 25% of all retail sales in the United States annually.

96.Approximately 1.76 billion candy canes are made annually for the Christmas season in the United States.

97.The Nutcracker ballet premiered in Russia in 1892 and is now performed by hundreds of companies during the Christmas season.

98.Electric Christmas lights use about 6.6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually in the United States.

99.The White House has an official Christmas tree that is typically 18-20 feet tall and is lit in a special ceremony.

100.Christmas Day is the most common birthday in the United States, with an average of 12,000+ babies born on December 25th annually.