25 Fun Christmas Facts More Surprising Than the Presents Under the Tree

If you felt like Christmas shopping drained your wallet more than usual this year, you're not alone. A recent study from the National Retail Federation revealed that consumer spending on the winter holidays is expected to reach an average of $902 per person in 2024!

Shiny, colorful tinsel is undoubtedly one of the quintessential Christmas decorations, but it wasn't always this way. Tinsel arrived on the scene in Germany in the 1600s, where it was made from real silver. Fast forward a few hundred years and the decoration became banned in the United States because it contained lead. Today's tinsel is made from safer materials like plastic and aluminum, so you can string it up without concern.

Turkey isn't just a Thanksgiving tradition. According to Google Trends data, searches for "turkey" trump those for "ham" in the month of December, signaling a new bird on top.

Out of all the Christmas classics on your playlist, you might be wondering which of them is the most popular of all. The answer is "Silent Night," which has accumulated over 733 recorded versions since 1978.

Your fluffy, live Christmas tree might be older than you think. While it's only in your home for a matter of weeks, the average Christmas tree takes up to 15 years to grow to its full form.

Those letters to Santa don't always go unanswered! In Canada, the postal code "H0H 0H0" is designated for Santa at the North Pole. Every year, Canadian children can send their letters to this address to receive a personalized reply from "Santa" through Canada Post's Santa Letter-Writing Program.

What started as a marketing campaign by KFC in the 1970s has evolved into a widely adopted tradition of eating a bucket of KFC chicken to celebrate Christmas. Many people even place their KFC orders well in advance to secure their Christmas chicken dinner.

The creator, Robert L. May, was considering Rollo and Reginald before he finally settled on Rudolph.

This custom is believed to have originated in the early 19th century in Europe. One popular legend involves St. Nicholas, who, according to folklore, put gold coins in the stockings of three poor sisters. Over time, this evolved into the cherished holiday tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace and filling them with small Christmas gifts.

The 2018 computer-animated film brought in $512,858,819 worldwide. The runner-up? Home Alone, the Christmas classic from 1990.

In the mid-17th century, the Puritan-led English Parliament banned Christmas celebrations in favor of a day of fasting. Furthermore, the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday was Alabama in 1836. The last was Oklahoma in 1890.

And the average age when children stop believing is eight, according to the 2018 international Exeter Santa Survey. Bonus fact: During the months of November and December, Santa receives around 32,000 letters daily from these believers!

Move over, Black Friday! According to recent statistics, the top ten busiest shopping days in the U.S. account for nearly half of all holiday retail traffic including the weekend before the big day. As for the entire holiday shopping season, the NRF estimates sales reached $936.3 billion in 2022.

According to History.com, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany gave the red and white sugar sticks to young singers to keep them quiet during the Living Creche tradition on Christmas Eve.

The famous political cartoonist Thomas Nast established Santa's official residence as the North Pole in several illustrations in the 1800s, according to NPR. At the time, there had recently been a series of expeditions to the Arctic, and the North Pole was thought of as a mythical, magical place.

The word actually dates back to the mid-1500s, and gets its roots from the Greek letter X—which is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ.

This popular kissing tradition may have its roots in Norse mythology. The History Channel reports that Frigg, the goddess of love, promised to kiss anyone who passed under the berry-laden plant after it saved her son's life. It wasn't until the 18th century, however, that the Christmas custom picked up steam in England.

Believe it or not, the enduring Christmas classic initially bombed at the box office. It wasn't until 1974, when its copyright expired and television networks could air it for free, that it cemented its place as one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time.

Most historians agree that eggnog is a descendant of the medieval British drink posset, which was made with wine or beer, cream, sugar, and egg, according to Smithsonian.com.

On December 16, 1965, the classic Christmas song was broadcast during NASA’s Gemini 6A space flight, according to Guinness World Records.