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My husband is Hungarian, and so the Christmas traditions that he grew up with are different than the ones I did. For example, in Hungary, St. Nicholas (known as Mikulas) visits on December 5th, when children leave their boots out for him to fill with goodies. Christmas Day gifts are brought by the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. You learn a lot about different cultures when you are married to someone from a culture different than yours. So, in honor of Christmas traditions and cultures from all around the world, here are some fun facts about Christmas that you might not know.
- In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by one of the Wise Men's camels
- "Jingle Bells" was actually written for Thanksgiving and was originally titled "One Horse Open Sleigh"
- There are 364 gifts mentioned in "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
- The first Christmas was celebrated in Rome on December 25, AD 336
- Since 1991, artificial Christmas trees have outsold real ones
- Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday
- Oklahoma was the last state to declare Christmas a legal holiday
- Christmas became a federal holiday in the U.S. in 1970
- In Greek, "x" means Christ, so this is where "x-mas" comes from
- The tallest Christmas tree ever was 221 feet tall and was displayed in Seattle, WA
Do you have any special traditions that you celebrate in your home?
Are you or your loved ones from a culture that celebrates in a unique way?
We hope your holiday season is filled with much love, peace and joy!