| I couldn’t wait to share my Christmas fun facts with you, 2021 edition. Share them with your holiday guests. They’ll be SO impressed with your brilliance. Ready? Here we go . . . 1. St. Nicholas was born in 280 A.D. in Patara, Turkey. Known for his kindness and generosity, he gave away his inherited wealth including dower money to three poor sisters so they could marry. He died on December 6th, 343. He is the Patron saint of sailors and children. Lucky them! 2. Between 1659-1681, Christmas was outlawed in Boston with fines of 5 shillings for decorating one’s home with green or red decorations. Leave it to Bostonians to bah-humbug on Christmas. Blasphemy! 3.The first recorded public Christmas tree in America was in 1830 among German settlers in Pennsylvania. The idea for the first Christmas Tree ever is credited to Martin Luther. Which probably explains that German settlers thing . . . 4. As late as the 1840s, Christmas was still seen by most Americans as a pagan festival. Those dreadful pagans! 5. In ancient Rome, December 21 was celebrated as the feast of Saturnalia where the social order was overturned (slaves traded places with masters, parents with children). This most likely explains why most Americans considered Christmas a pagan holiday. Just sayin’ . . . 6. In 1804 John Pintard, illustrator for the New York historical society, carved a woodcut of Father Klaus stockings stuffed with gifts and fruit, hung on a fireplace mantel. That’s how the tradition of Christmas stockings got started. 7. An 1846 drawing of Victoria and Albert around a Christmas tree with their children is considered the first Christmas Card. Christmas was not a federal holiday in the United States until 1870. Again think pagan holiday . . . 8. Candy Cane: The shape reminds one of a shepherd’s staff. The white color represents purity, the red represents blood. The mint recalls the spices brought by the wise men. The taste recalls the sweetness of the season. 9. In 1939, Robert May created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to increase shopper traffic to his Montgomery Ward stores. Seems like it worked out pretty well for him. 10. Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Boxing Day, and Happy New Year. See you next year. Meg |
