Yes, December is finally upon us!

At Santa’Ville, we love the holiday season not only for the traditional goodies like Christmas lights around the streets or the fresh pine smell in the living room, but also for all the interesting history and facts that stand behind Christmas traditions.

There is so much more to our favourite holiday than we are used to thinking!  Even though Christmas traditions aren’t new to all of us, there are plenty of unusual and even weird facts about this holiday. Read on to find out 5 fun Christmas facts you had no idea about.

Quirky and Fun Christmas Facts

1. The first artificial Christmas tree was not a tree at all.

The first artificial Christmas tree was created in 19th century in Germany. However, it looked nothing like a real tree. Instead, it was made out of goose feathers dyed in green colour.

These feather trees gained more popularity during the early 20th century, when they finally made their way to North America.

2. Santa can stretch time to deliver all the Christmas presents.

According to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), there are over 2 million children under the age of 18 in the world. On average, each household has around 2.5 children, which means that Santa would have to visit 842 million households in a single night!

Considering different time zones, Santa has 36 hours to complete this job, but nothing is impossible for him. According to Larry Silverberg, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at North Carolina State University, Santa may be able to use relativity clouds to stretch time like a rubber band, which would give him months to deliver presents.

3. Rudolph has a red nose due to parasitic infection of the respiratory system.

In his book “The Physics of Christmas: from the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to Thermodynamics of Turkey”, Roger Highfield theorizes that the most famous deer of Santa has a red nose due to a parasite who has infiltrated his respiratory system.

However, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and the parasite co-exist in a symbiotic relationship: the red nose helps to illuminate the path for the entire reindeer crew.

4. “Jingle Bells” is not a Christmas song.

While the sound of “Jingle Bells” automatically brings back the warm memories of snow, Christmas lights, fun Christmas tree ornaments from Santa’Ville, and evenings spent with our loved ones, the song was not written for Christmas.

“Jingle Bells” was originally published under the name of “One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1857. The composer James Lord Pierpont was planning to play it in his Sunday school’s class during Thanksgiving.

5. The term “Xmas” is no different from “Christmas”.

Xmas is commonly used to abbreviate the word Christmas. However, some people don’t agree with the spelling, as it takes the word “Christ” from the holiday name.

Don’t worry, the “X” doesn’t take “Christ” out. In the Greek alphabet, the letter X is the first letter of the Greek word for Christos or Christ.

One More Fact: Everyone Loves Christmas Ornaments

Did you enjoy our fun Christmas facts? Here is one more fact about Christmas: nothing can help get into the holiday spirit like personalized Christmas ornaments from Santa’Ville.

Explore our collection of ornaments and Christmas decorations and find the perfect one to suit your taste!