2. Christmas has three traditional colors: red, green, and gold. Red symbolizes the blood of Christ, green is a symbol of life and rebirth, and gold represents light, wealth, and royalty.
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| Decorated Outdoor Christmas Tree |
4. Christmas trees usually grow 15 years before being sold.
5. Alabama was the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday, in 1836, and Oklahoma was the last state in 1907.
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| Rent-a-Santa |
6. There are about 20,000 "rent-a-Santas" in the US. Each Christmas they receive training to keep them jolly all season long.
7. A British Christmas tradition is to wear paper crowns while eating Christmas dinner. These crowns come from Christmas Crackers, little cardboard tubes you twist and pop, and each usually has a crown, a small toy, and a piece of paper with a joke or piece of trivia.
8. President Roosevelt banned Christmas trees from the White House in 1902 because of "environmental concerns"
9. The song "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time
10. About 30-35 million living Christmas trees are sold each year in the U.S.
11. The first Christmas card was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, and created by John Callcott Horsely in 1843
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| The First Christmas Card |
12. Christmas purchases account for 1/6 of retail sales each year in the U.S.
13. Mistletoe came from the Anglo-Saxon word misteltan which means "little dung twig" because the plant spreads through bird droppings
15. A website called NORAD provides a map each Christmas on exactly where Santa is
