1. December 25 became the official celebration date for the birth of Christ in 350 A.D. View this image '
popes-and-papacy.com / Viahistory.com
In the fourth century, church leaders wanted a day to commemorate Christ's birth. The Bible doesn't specify the date he was born, so Pope Julius I proclaimed it would be celebrated on December 25. Because celebrating Christ's birth isn't mentioned in the Bible and because December 25 coincided with pagan winter solstice festivals, some Christians disavowed the holiday. The Pilgrams didn't celebrate it, and Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday in the U.S. until 1870.
2. Germany is credited with popularizing the tradition of the Christmas tree. View this image '
sacred-texts.com / Viahistory.com
Even before Christmas was established, trees that were green all year long were symbolic for people in the winter. German Christians began putting trees in their homes in the 16th century, and it's believed Martin Luther was the first to decorate the tree with candles. German immigrants in Pennsylvania brought the tradition to the U.S.
3. The idea of Santa Claus originated with a monk in present-day Turkey named St. Nicholas in the third century. View this image '
vintageholidaycrafts.com / Viahistory.com
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St. Nicholas was said to have inherited a fortune that he gave away to the poor and sick. His legend and popularity spread through Europe with feasts commemorating him held on the anniversary of his death. His was particularly popular in Holland where he was known as 'Sinter Klaas.' Our modern depiction of Santa Claus was popularized in the 19th century in advertisements.
4. The first Christmas card was sent in 1843 in the U.K. View this image '
s3-ak.buzzfeed.com / Viawhychristmas.com
Sir Henry Cole, a government worker, and John Horsley, an artist, created the first Christmas card depicting people helping the poor and enjoying Christmas dinner with their family. Early Christmas cards usually had the Nativity, snow scenes or robins on them.
5. The U.S. Postal Service has been answering children's letters to Santa for 100 years. View this image '
vice.com
Songwriter Irving Berlin, who also wrote 'God Bless America' and 'There's No Business Like Show Business,' wrote 'White Christmas' in 1940 in a hotel in either La Quinta, California or Phoenix, Arizona depending on who you ask. The song has sold 50 million copies and has been covered more than 500 times.
9. Holiday shopping can make up to forty percent of a company's retail sales. View this image '
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lifetheologydrpepper.wordpress.com
The 'X' comes from the Greek translation of Christ, ???????, and 'X' has historically used by artists and writers to symbolize Christ. Still, some have seen the use of Xmas as disrespectful. The 1948 Vogue's Book of Etiquette stated ''Xmas' should never be used' in greeting cards,' and today, its use is discouraged by the AP Stylebook, the New York Times, The Times, The Guardian and the BBC.
11. Candy canes were originally all white. View this image '
candyblog.com / Viagpb.org
The candy cane was allegedly created in Germany in the 19th century when a choirmaster wanted to create something the children could enjoy during church service. He created an allwhite candy in the shape of a shepherds crook as a reminder of the shepherds who visited Christ. The red stripe wasn't added until later. Today, Bobs Candies (no apostrophe) is the largest manufacture of candy canes, and they also created the largest candy cane ever, an eight-foot-long striped cane that weighed more than 100 pounds.
12. There's this thing called a caganer and people put it in their Nativities.
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