Twelve Things You
Never Knew About Christmas
1. Christmas trees were first
lighted with actual candles, which presented a fire
hazard. As a result containers filled with water
had to be kept near the Christmas tree.
2. Workers in the construction industry are
responsible for the tradition of having a Christmas
tree on display at Rockefeller
Center in New York City. They are credited with
placing an undecorated tree at the site in the early
1930s.
3. Since the mid-1960s, The National Christmas Tree
Association has maintained a presence in the White
House at Christmas by donating a Christmas tree to
the First Family.
4. The former Woolworth department store first sold
manufactured Christmas tree ornaments in 1880.
5. Plastic became the primary material used to make
tinsel after their use for decorative purposes was
at one time prohibited because lead was used in the
manufacturing process.
6. The idea of Christmas greeting cards started in
Britain in the late 1830s when John Calcott Horsley
started to produce small cards that had festive
scenes and a holiday greeting written inside.
Similar cards were also being made in the United
States at about the same time by R.H. Pease, in
Albany, New York, and Louis Prang, who was a German
immigrant. The idea of sending the greeting cards
during Christmas gained popularity in both countries
about 10 years later when new postal delivery
services started.
7. The shortened form Xmas for Christmas has been
popular in Europe since the 1500s. It is believed to
be derived from the
Greek word 'Xristos' which means Christ.
8. According to the National Confectioners Association, for 200 years candy canes were only
made in the color of white and it wasn't until in
the 1950s that a machine was invented that could
automate the production of candy canes.
9. The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day in
England and it is a national holiday. Several
stories exist for the origination of the name. It is
believed to have originated from the practice of
boys who would be about collecting money in clay
boxes. Another thought is that the term is derived
from a custom in the Middle Ages, about 800 years
ago, when churches would open their 'alms boxes' and
distribute the contents to poor people on the day
after Christmas. Alms boxes
are boxes in which donations of gifts and money
would be placed. Yet another belief is that it comes
from a custom of masters giving their servants
Christmas presents in boxes on the day after
Christmas.
10. Evergreen trees had special meaning in winter to
people, particularly in Europe, before Christianity
started. Ancient
peoples would hang evergreen branches over their
doors and windows because evergreens were believed
to ward off witches, ghosts, evil spirits and
illness. For worshipers of the sun god, evergreen
plants were a reminder of all the green plants that
would grow with the return of summer and the sun god
being strong again.
11. In ancient times, many people worshiped the sun
as a god in December because they thought winter
occurred yearly because the sun god had fallen into
ill health. They therefore celebrated the winter
solstice because it was a sign that the son god
would begin to regain strength and return to good
health.
12. Legislators in Congress did business on
Christmas Day in 1789, which was the first one to be
observed under the country's new constitution. The
reason for the Congressional session was because it
had become unpopular then to observe and take part
in English customs following the American
Revolution. And when Christmas celebrations were
barred in Boston earlier in 1659 to 1681, it became
a costly thing to be seen participating in any event
or activity related to Christmas. Anyone caught
doing so had to pay five shillings.