Christmas Facts to Get You in the Holiday Spirit

PowerPoint PresentationHoliday
Spirit
Overview
The holidays are drawing closer, and that means it's time to finish up your shopping, trim your tree, and
get those Christmas greetings in the mail. It's been another long year, so you may need an extra dose of
festive spirit this season. If that's the case, or if you're in need of some great icebreakers for family
gatherings, read on for some fun Christmas facts that'll fill you—and anyone you're chatting with—with
the magic of the holidays!
Why does Santa live in the North
Pole?
established Santa's official residence as the North
Pole in several illustrations in the 1800s, according
to NPR. At the time, there had recently been a
series of expeditions to the Arctic, and the North
Pole was thought of as a mythical, magical place.
"Xmas" isn't a recent term
The word actually dates back to the
mid-1500s, and gets its roots from the
Greek letter X—which is the first letter
in the Greek word for Christ.
Two of Santa's reindeer
originally had different names
Nicholas, which originally introduced the
world to Santa's reindeer, two of the flying
creatures had slightly different names. Donner and Blitzen were instead Dunder
and Blixem, which is a Dutch way to refer to
thunder and lightning.
artificial Christmas trees
Association, nearly 94 million households
displayed a Christmas tree in 2020, and a
whopping 85 percent of those trees were
artificial.
named Fisbee
creators' own toy elf, Fisbee, who they grew
up with in the 1970s. They told HuffPost that
Fisbee "would report to Santa Claus at night
and be back in a different position in our
house the next day."
The longest-running Santa Claus
parade happens in Illinois
parades, and each one is special in its own way.
However, the parade that happens each year in
Peoria, Illinois, is the oldest parade of its kind in
the U.S. It's taken place every holiday season
since 1888—that's well over 100 years of
festive fun!
These days, artificial Christmas trees are made
of materials that are meant to mimic real
evergreens and last for as long as possible. But
when these fake festive trees were first
displayed in Germany around 1865, they were
made of goose feathers that were dyed green.
"Jingle Bells" was the first song
played in space
out to if you were to ever float among the
stars. But the crew of NASA's Gemini 6A
space flight got into the Christmas spirit and
made history when they played "Jingle Bells"
on December 16, 1965, earning the jolly
jingle the Guinness World Record for being
the first song ever played in space.
Santa has a postal code in Canada
If you are in Canada and want to become pen
pals with Santa Claus, you can send him a letter
via the Canada Post mail system. The address?
Santa Claus, North Pole, HOH OHO, Canada.
And don't be surprised when you get a letter
back! He has some helpers who keep up with his
correspondence.
mistletoe?
in Norse mythology. The History Channel
reports that Frigg, the goddess of love, promised
to kiss anyone who passed under the berry-
laden plant after it saved her son's life. It wasn't
until the 18th century, however, that the
Christmas custom picked up steam in England.
Where does eggnog originally come
from?
which was made with wine or beer, cream, sugar,
and egg.
Claus
international Exeter Santa Survey.
song of all time?
best-selling single of all time.
Rudolph was a marketing
debut in 1939 in a giveaway coloring book
created by a copywriter for the Montgomery
Ward department store.
for Santa?
root during the Great Depression, when
parents encouraged children to keep their
charitable spirit alive in the face of financial
hardship.
largest Christmas gift ever given
Standing over 150 feet tall and weighing 225
tons, the Statue of Liberty is an impressive
figure. And since it was considered a holiday
gift when it was given to the U.S. by France in
1886, it's officially the largest Christmas
present in the world. That's a lot of wrapping
paper and ribbon!
conceived around Christmas
popular time for babies to be born in the U.S.
Check the calendar and that means that those
little ones were conceived around the holiday
season when couples are feeling rather, er, cozy.
You can visit Santa's village all
year round in Canada
open 365 days a year in Canada, so you can
visit during the winter months or camp there
during the summer.
every second during the
If there's a child in your life, then there's a
good chance that they've asked for at least
one Lego set as a gift over the years. In fact,
they probably ask for one each year. That's
why, during the Christmas season, almost
28 Lego sets are sold each and every
second.
decorating-related injuries
stringing those lights! According to the
United States Consumer Product Safety
Commission, in 2018, 17,500 people sought
treatment at a hospital for injuries sustained
while decorating for the holiday.
Conclusion
Above, you learned about the history behind your favorite time-honored Christmas traditions, plus why
Santa Claus lives in the North Pole, how many kids still believe in the man in the big red suit, and which
Christmas song was the first tune ever played in space. You can use your new seasonal smarts to wow
your guests, or create a fun Christmas trivia quiz to see who really knows their stuff. The winner gets to
pick which Christmas movie you'll watch after you open presents!