It will be Christmas on Friday, and we all love it! Christians around the world celebrate it as the birth anniversary of Jesus of Nazareth, the central figure of Christianity. However, Christmas is also a worldwide cultural celebration. People exchange gifts, decorate Christmas trees, attend church, share meals with family and friends and, of course, wait for Santa Claus to arrive.

Here are some fun facts about Christmas that you (probably) didn’t know. Smarten up!

1. Is it Christmas or Xmas?
   Christmas is a contraction of “Christ’s Mass,” which is derived from the Old English Cristes mæsse (first recorded in 1038). The letter “X” in Greek (also known as Chi) is the first alphabet of Christ. So, “Xmas” has been used as an abbreviation for Christmas since the mid 1500s.
    
2. You Still Believe in Santa Claus?
   Santa Claus is totally real! Saint Nicholas of Myra lived during the fourth century. A bishop in what is now Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick.
    
3. Rudolph is Red Nosed For a Reason, Y’know!
   Rudolph, “the most famous reindeer of all,” was born over a hundred years after his eight flying counterparts. Norwegian scientists have hypothesized that Rudolph’s red nose is probably the result of a parasitic infection of his respiratory system.
    
4. Just How Tall is A Tall Christmas Tree?
   According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.
    
5. The Science of Santa
   Roger Highfield, in his book The Physics of Christmas: from the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey  says, “According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there are 2,106 million children under age 18 in the world. If there are on average 2.5 children per household, Santa would have to make 842 million stops on Christmas Eve, traveling 221 million miles. To reach all 842 million stops, Santa would need to travel between houses in 2/10,000 second, which means he would need to accelerate 12.19 million miles (20.5 billion meters) per second on each stop. The force of this acceleration would reduce Santa to chunky salsa.”
    
6. Santa’s Got a Past Too
   Santa Claus, that big, jolly man in the red suit with a white beard — didn’t always look that way. Early illustrations depict him as stern, commanding, and holding a birch rod. He was portrayed as a symbol of discipline and punishment. (Christmas Curiosities: Odd, Dark, and Forgotten Christmas- John Grossman)
    
7. You Too Can Be Solomon
   According to the Encyclopedia of Christmas, In Germany, Heiligabend, or Christmas Eve, is said to be a magical time when the pure in heart can hear animals talking.
    
8. Who Started It?
   The first lit up Christmas tree can be traced to Martin Luther. The Encyclopedia of Christmas states that the first person to decorate a Christmas tree was the Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546). He was so moved by the beauty of the stars shining between the branches of a fir tree that he brought home an evergreen tree and decorated it with candles to share the image with his children.
    
9. Story Behind the Stockings?
   Story behind the Christmas stockings! Christmas stockings allegedly evolved from three sisters who were too poor to afford a marriage dowry, and were, therefore, doomed to a life of prostitution. They were saved, however, when the wealthy Bishop Saint Nicholas of Myrna crept down their chimney and generously filled their stockings with gold coins.(Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas- Ace Collins).
    
10. That Mistletoe Though!
    Why do people kiss under mistletoe? Mistletoe is from the Anglo-Saxon word misteltan, which means “little dung twig” because the plant spreads through bird droppings. It was thought to be a healing herb, and the kiss was thought to bring health to the recipient.
    (Mistletoe is, however, toxic. Just fyi)
     

Now you know! Go and share these fun facts with your family and friends, alongwith laughter and presents.

Brain Gain magazine wishes you a very merry Christmas!