- "The Night Before Christmas" was written by Clement Moore for his children and some guests. The poem was anonymously to a New York newspaper for publication by one of his guests.
- Barnum's circus-like boxes were designed with a string handle so that they could be hung on a Christmas tree.
- Oregon is the leading producer of Christmas trees - 8.6 million in 1998.
- Candy canes began as straight white sticks of sugar candy used to decorate Christmas trees. The ends were later bent to depict a shepherd's crook. It wasn't until about the 20th century that candy canes acquired their red stripes.
- You can eat your Christmas tree. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs are edible, including the needles (chock full of vitamin C) and pine cones.
- The first US president to officially decorate a Christmas tree in the White House was Franklin Pierce.
- Hallmark introduced its first Christmas cards in 1915, five years after the founding of the company.
- The Christmas season begins at sundown on 24th December and lasts through sundown on 5th January, lasting exactly twelve days, which is also traditionally the number of days it took the Three Wise Men to find the baby Jesus.
- Famous people born on Christmas Day include Sir Isaac Newton, Jimmy Buffett, Sissy Spacek, and Ricky Henderson
- More diamonds are purchased during the Christmas season than during any other holiday or occasion during the year.
- The first Christmas decorations were home-made paper flowers, or apples, biscuits, and sweets.
- The earliest purchased Christmas decorations were made of glass and came from Lauscha in Germany in 1880.
- The earliest collection of English Christmas carols was published in 1521.
- The first Christmas card read: "Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you."
- Theodore Roosevelt was such a staunch conservationist, he banned Christmas trees in his home, even while in the White House. His children would resort to smuggling them into their bedrooms.
- Santa Claus,Arizona Christmas, Arizona, Santa Claus, Indiana, Noel, Missouri, Santa, Idaho, and Christmas, Florida are all real towns in the United states
- "It's a Wonderful Life" appears on television more than any other holiday film.
- For about thirteen years in 1647, the English parliament passed a law made Christmas illegal.
- America's official national Christmas tree is over 300ft tall and located in King's Canyon National Park in California.
- The first department store to feature a visit with Santa was the J. W. Parkinson's store in Philadelphia in 1841. The trend didn't catch on until almost 50 years later.
- "Silent Night" was written in 1818, by an Austrian pastor, Joseph Mohr because the organ in his church was broken that year.
- You'll be dissapointed to learn that Santa Claus Lane is neither snowy or icy. Every year Hollywood Boulevard is officially re-named Santa Claus Lane, during Hollywood's annual Christmas parade.
![[Article]](http://cdn.mgsrvr.com/q-qs/images/content/85x85/85x85_b.gif)