The first commercial Christmas card (above) was the brainchild of Sir Henry Cole. It showed a family feast and the words “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You”. It was illustrated by John Horsley and printed in London in 1843. An original copy is very rare.
St. Nicholas, the original Father of Christmas, is the patron saint of thieves, virgins, and communist Russia. He was a real man born in 280AD in Asia Minor.
In 1647 the English Parliament abolished Christmas. Due to public outcry it was restored in 1660.
The Puritans forbade the singing of Christmas carols, judging them to be out of keeping with the true spirit of Christmas.
The 3 Wise Men were Casper, Balthazar and Melcior.
Charles Dickens‘ A Christmas Carol was an instant hit. Every year thereafter, he wrote a new Christmas story.
The poinsettia, known as the “Flower of the Holy Night” is originally from Mexico. It was brought to America by a diplomat, Juan Poinsett in 1829. He later helped found the Smithsonian.
Some people hide a coin or trinket in the Christmas pudding. (dentists?)
Santa came to live at the North Pole because Thomas Nast drew a cartoon of him sitting on a box addressed “Christmas Box 1882, St. Nicholas, North Pole”. Nast had given Santa the look we know in an 1866 edition of Harpers Weekly.
The story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written by copywriter Richard May for Montgomery Ward in 1939. The famous reindeer was originally named Rollo, then Reginald, before being changed.
The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 25 and run to January 6, the Epiphany.
On Christmas night 1776, George Washington and his Continental army crossed the Delaware River and attacked Hessian troops stationed in Trenton, NJ. The German soldiers were still celebrating Christmas. Americans did not observe Christmas at the time. The re-enactment of the crossing takes place every year at Washington Crossing, PA (the historical location), a small village near New Hope.
Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7.
Xmas is an abbreviation of Christmas and comes from the Greek letter chi which is the first letter of Christ.
It is unknown how December 25 came to be the date of Jesus’ birth but Sextus Julius Africanus wrote it was in 221 AD, having calculated it as nine months from the Annunciation, March 25. Sextus was a statistician and early zillowist.
Before Christianity, the major winter celebration was the week long Roman festival of Saturnalia. It was a time of gift giving, singing, gambling, drinking, public nudity and other tomfoolery. This pagan tradition is still practiced today at certain office parties.
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. For those still observing Saturnalia, “io Saturnalia!”.
Sources: Human World; TriviaPark; Christmas All Day; Wikipedia.
