It's the most wonderful time of the year! CHRISTMAS! Here are 9 things you most likely did not know about Christmas! This can be a great topic to quiz and discuss with your family members at the dinner table so you can stay away from politics and football!
1. Mistletoe
Or also known as "dung twig", mistletoe is named after bird droppings. This is because normally where ever the droppings land, the mistletoe is actually a tree from the seed of bird poop. Remember that when you are kissing your loved one underneath it.
2. December 25th
The Bible never really states when Jesus was actually born. All we do know is in the 4th century that the Catholic Church decided to recognize Jesus' birth with the Feast of the Nativity on December 25th.
3. Retail Craziness
According to statisticians, the purchases at Christmas time is, wait for it, 1/6 of ALL annual retail sales in all 50 states. I'd put my money on the fact that most of that income is from Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
4. Breakup Season
Facebook, Instagram, and other social media websites have reported that two weeks before Christmas is the most popular time for couples to break up! Well, I guess that saves some money?
5. The Upside Down Christmas Tree
The idea came from Department stores to increase floor space, and the customers really liked the idea and decided to make it a trend! However, in the 12th century, most Europeans would hang their trees from their ceilings to represent the Holy Trinity.
6. Rent-A-Santa
Roughly every single year there are about 20,000 Rent-A-Santas hired each year. But wait, did you know that these Professional Santas undergo training on how to cope with the amount of pressure from the public, how to deal with wild children, and even what not to eat in order to avoid having nasty breath.
7. Xmas
This is a popular abbreviation for Christmas, but the real question is, do you know why? The X represents the Greek letter Chi, or the first letter of the word "Christ." In the 16th Century, European Christians began using the Chi for a symbolic abbreviation for Christmas!
8. Santa Claus
Every single year, the North Pole, Alaska receives hundreds of thousands of letters from children all over the world. There are even many volunteers from the small town of 1,800 that make an effort to reply to every letter that has a return address on it!
9. The Statue Of Liberty
In 1886, the United States of America became the recipient of the largest Christmas present in history when France gave the States the Statue of Liberty; which the statue weighs 225 tons and is 152.5 feet high!
