The Christmas season is here and it's the best time of the year! Let's get into the holiday spirit with these Christmas trivia!
Merry Christmas to everyone! Celebrated by over 2 billion people around the world, Christmas is a time to celebrate with family and friends, eat lots of delicious food, and even receive a gift or two.
Christmas evokes classic holiday traditions like singing, Santa Claus and the lighting of the Christmas tree, but there's so much more to discover about this festive holiday.
With these Christmas trivia, we take a trip around the world to discover some crazy holiday traditions! We also take a step back in time to discover the origins of Christmas, the Christmas tree and Santa Claus.
And what do cobwebs have to do with Christmas? Or Kentucky fried chicken? Or set fire to a giant straw goat? We are about to baffle you with some surprising Christmas facts that will really blow your mind.
Eggnog, Grinch, Krampus, Mistletoe... and the Christmas Witch? You have to keep reading to find out what it's all about!
Christmas is about bringing people together in happiness and joy, and we need more of that in the world.
So let's learn a little more about Christmas together?
35 fun facts about Christmas
1. A big tree
The tallest Christmas tree ever erected was a 67-meter-tall Douglas fir. The tree was displayed in downtown Seattle in 1950 and cost $19,000 at the time. We have to ask, how did they get the star on top?
2. Where does Santa Claus pick up his mail?
Need to get in touch with Santa Claus? InTer, Santa Claus has his own zip code, HOH OHO. In fact, over 1 million children in Canada send Christmas wishes to Santa in the mail every year.
3. Happy drunkenness
One study found that the average American eats 7,000 calories on Christmas Day. Three times the recommended daily dose. You definitely want to put your stretchy pants onDecember25.!
4. Thank you, I think
According to a 2014 Rakuten survey, 75% of Americans did not like the Christmas gifts they received. And what to do with these unwanted gifts? 33% donated, 27% donated, 14% sold. But thought counts, right?
5. Baby Santa
Here is one of the Christmas facts that most surprised us. In many Latin American countries, children do not receive gifts from Santa Claus. Rather, your gifts are from baby Jesus himself! Thank you baby Jesus!
6. Natal Frito do Kentucky
In Japan, the most common Christmas food is fried chicken. And all thanks to a marketing strategy ofKFC. In fact, KFC registers the highest sales on Christmas Eve than any other day of the year in Japan.
7. Hot Christmas
As Australia is located in the southern hemisphere, December 25th is the middle of summer and one of the hottest days of the year. Australian Christmas traditions include going to the beach and barbecuing. Why do we imagine Santa Claus on a surfboard?
8. Must be the Christmas spirit.
The most common month to have babies isSeptember. And nine months before September is the middle of the Christmas season. Not surprising, as the last few weeks of December are when people are at their happiest and... most festive.
9. Who is the real Santa Claus?
This was one of the curiosities about Christmas that really impressed us. Santa Claus wasn't portrayed as fat, jolly, and with a white beard until 1931, when Coca-Cola commissioned an artist to recreate the image of Santa Claus. How naughty is that?! We want skinny Santa back!
10. The opposite of Santa Claus
in german folkloreKrampusis a spooky alternative to Santa Claus. Krampus, a goat-like character with cloven hooves, is said to kidnap mischievous children and take them straight to Hell. Okay, that's a lot scarier than "He sees you when you're sleeping".
11. Go up in flames
Julbock the Christmas goat is one of the craziest Christmas traditions. In a small Swedish town, people gather around a giant straw goat and light it up on Christmas Day. The goat renews itself each year only to meet the same fiery fate.
12. Comedy vs Horror
Bob Clark is considered one of the greatest directors of Christmas movies. And her two most famous traits couldn't be more different.
Fulla christmas story, the classic comedy that is inevitable on TV during the holidays. Then there's Black Christmas, the bloody, brutal horror.
13. Marital Status: Single
According to a Facebook study, Christmas Day is the day when couples are least likely to break up. They found that the most common breakup date was December 11, two weeks before Christmas. I guess that lets you off the hook when you're shopping for gifts!
14. The Abominable Snowman
The tallest snowman ever built was in Bethel, Maine. The monstrous snowman was 37 m tall. Let's just hope this snowman doesn't come to life as Frosty and destroy the entire town!
15. Fast Santa Claus
Some smart mathematicians did some math for Santa Claus. For Santa Claus to reach every home in the world on Christmas Eve, he would have to travel at 3,000 times the speed of sound and reach 800 houses per second.
16. Christmas and cobwebs
No, we don't talk about that.All Saints' Eve. In Ukraine, it is believed that saving cobwebs during the holidays will bring wealth and prosperity in the New Year. And it is a Ukrainian tradition to decorate the Christmas tree with spider web ornaments.
17. Give me a kiss
Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? This Christmas tradition dates back todruidsin the 1st century AD As is well known, mistletoe blooms in winter and symbolizes love and fertility.
18. Christmas trivia in India
The lack of pine trees in India means that mango and banana trees are adorned. Indians also love the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. Also, there is a village in India called Santa Claus!
19. Four-legged Christmas
What are you going to buy your cat or dog this year? 50% of pet owners give gifts to their furry friends on Christmas Day. In fact, Americans spend an average of $46 per pet.
20. The first Christmas trees
It was the Germans in the 16th century who first introduced the idea of tree ornaments. At that time, trees were decorated with fruits and nuts. Soon after, the decor began to include paper cutouts and candles.
21. Christmas tree gifts
Every year, Norway gives London a Christmas tree to thank them for their support during World War II. Halifax, Nova Scotia gives Boston a Christmas tree each year as a thank you for its help during theHalifax Explosion(1917).
22. The Christmas Witch
Here's one of the scariest Christmas facts we've come across. In Italy, La Befana, or the Witch of Christmas, flies across the country on her broomstick. But fear not! La Befana is a friendly witch who is there to deliver gifts!
23. The July Boys
In Iceland, children leave empty shoes outside on Christmas Eve. A group of 13 trolls called Yule lads will come at night to fill your shoes. If the kids have been good, they get candy. If they misbehave, they'll eat a rotten potato!
24. Santa's Reindeer
Here's a question for you: do you think Santa's reindeer are male or female? In fact, there's a huge debate online about it!
Most people point out that male reindeer lose their antlers in December, so the ones pulling Santa's sleigh must be female!
25. Here comes Santa Claus!
One thing we love about Christmas is the Santa Claus parade. People fill the cold streets with cups of hot chocolate to greet Santa Claus and herald the start of Christmas. The oldest Santa Claus parade is held in Peoria, Illinois, starting in 1888!
26. Merry Christmas
One of the classic Christmas songs.Swinging around the Christmas treewas recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958 when she was just 13 years old. The song has since been covered by Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. Let's dance to this song today!
27. X marks the spot
Here's another one of those Christmas trivia that totally took us by surprise. The X in X-mas actually represents the Greek letter Chi, which means Christ in Greek. Do any of you know this little Christmas curiosity?
28. Traditional Christmas Drink
The first eggnog was made in medieval England from a mixture of spices, curdled milk and beer. The drink known as Posset eventually became the eggnog we know today when the egg was added to the mix. Cheers!
29. Christmas Success
Highest-grossing Christmas movie of all timeHow the Grinch Stole Christmas(2000). The remake of the original cartoon, starring Jim Carrey, grossed over $260 million at the box office.
30. Jingle to Space
Believe it or not, Jingle Bells was the first song to be played in space. The crew of NASA's Gemini 6A got into the holiday spirit with music in 1965.
31. Bling Baum
A Christmas tree at the Kempinski Hotel Bahía in Spain is said to be the most expensive Christmas tree ever. Decorated with diamonds, jewels and perfume bottles, the tree is valued at over $15 million.
32. Happy and cheerful
Did you know that before it was more common to say Merry Christmas? It wasn't until Charles Dickens published his popular novel thata christmas songthat Merry Christmas has become the standard holiday greeting.
33. Christmas is expensive!
According to a 2021 Gallup poll, the average American should spend $837 on Christmas presents. That number has even declined in recent years. In the early 2000s, the average was nearly $1,000.
34. The greatest Christmas present
The Statue of Liberty was actually a Christmas present given to the United States by France in 1886. The 150-foot-tall, 225-ton statue now stands proudly on the New York City waterfront, welcoming people to its margins.
35. Spreading Christmas Joy
Here is one of the most surprising fun facts about Christmas to wrap up our Christmas journey. In the United States alone, more than 1.6 billion Christmas cards are sent each year. It gets us in the Christmas spirit!
Who wants more trivia?
If you're looking for recommendations, here are some of our most popular data books to buy. We use them when planning fun trivia nights with family and friends!
Did these Christmas facts get you into the holiday spirit? Don't forget to share your favorite Christmas facts and holiday memories in the comments below!