Merry Everything
Festive Facts for the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…
December is a month filled with sparkle, song and celebrations from around the world. Whether you’re lighting candles, trimming trees or frying up latkes, there’s a story behind nearly every tradition. Here are 20 festive facts to share around the table this holiday season.
Christmas Cheer
• “Christmas” means “Mass of Christ.” The word comes from the Old English Cristes Maesse, first recorded in 1038.
• “Jingle Bells” wasn’t written for Christmas. It was originally composed for Thanksgiving in the 1850s.
• Germany gave us the first artificial trees. In the 1800s, people made them from dyed goose feathers.
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 as a department store giveaway by Montgomery Ward.
• Candy canes have a churchly origin. Choir directors handed them out to keep kids quiet during long services.
• The world’s largest Christmas gift was the Statue of Liberty, given by France to the United States in 1886.
• Christmas was once banned in Boston. From 1659 to 1681, it was considered too rowdy and un-Puritan.
• Santa’s red suit wasn’t always standard. Coca-Cola’s 1930s ads cemented the jolly red-and-white image we know today.
• Japan’s favorite Christmas dinner? Fried chicken! KFC’s “Kentucky for Christmas” campaign in the 1970s became a national tradition.
• Norway gives London a Christmas tree each year as a thank-you for Britain’s support during World War II.
Hanukkah Highlights
• Hanukkah celebrates a miracle of light. When the ancient temple was rededicated, one day’s worth of oil burned for eight.
• The dreidel began as a disguise. Jews used the game to hide secret Torah study during times of persecution.
• It’s actually a minor holiday. Hanukkah grew in popularity largely because of its timing near Christmas.
• Latkes and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) are fried in oil to honor the miracle of the lasting flame.
Kwanzaa Connections
• Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga to celebrate African heritage and unity.
• The word “Kwanzaa” comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning “first fruits.”
• The seven days of Kwanzaa each represent a principle—like unity (umoja) and creativity (kuumba).
• The kinara, similar to a menorah, holds seven candles: three red, three green, and one black for the African diaspora.
Around the World
• Yule, the ancient winter festival celebrated by Norse and Germanic peoples, gave us the Yule log and evergreen wreaths.
• Las Posadas in Mexico, held December 16–24, reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter and ends in feasts, piñatas and song.
No matter which holiday you celebrate, December’s traditions all share one thing in common – light, warmth and connection in the darkest days of the year.
