Amazing But True Holiday Facts

The Top 50 Amazing-but-True Holiday Facts


* In the village where the original Saint Nicholas was born,
children celebrate Christmas by giving gifts to old men
with long white beards.

* Children whose families celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas
have a 97 percent higher chance of getting socks as a gift.

* The yule log was originally a symbol of good digestion
following an overlarge Christmas feast.

* The sugar rush of a fruitcake is canceled out by its alcohol
content.

* The dogs barking "Jingle Bells" on the novelty record were
not dogs at all, but parrots, which can mimic dogs and are
easier to train.

* The first-ever Hanukkah latke recipe featured turnips,
rhubarb and kale. These proved so unpopular that many
different vegetables were substituted until the current
potato version prevailed.

* During the early 1970s, the Hasbro company attempted to
build a "North Pole" toy factory at Point Barrow, Alaska.
Construction was halted when feasibility studies predicted
labor shortages.

* In freshly-fallen snow, reindeer hoof prints are indisguishable
from those of the common Missouri white-tailed deer.

* Studies show that neighbors tend to complain about wattage-
sucking, multimedia outdoor decorations because they are
*jealous*.

* On the eighth day of Christmas, Jesus was circumcised.

* The most popular eggnog in Russia is not made from chicken
eggs, but from caviar.

* Every year between Christmas Day and New Year's day, there is
a 2-for-1 sale on caribou patties at the Anchorage Deli.

* The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe originated in
Germany in the 18th century when a person who was deathly
allergic to mistletoe came in contact it and had to be revived
by mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

* Absurd as it seems, behavioral scientists claim kids don't want
expensive toys -- what they REALLY want is just to be loved.

* The Egyptians celebrated a holiday they called "Chrystmus"
over 1700 years before the birth of Christ.

* The primary causes of death during the holidays are heart
attacks and suicide caused by the arrival of credit-card bills.

* According to the Department of Homeland Security's 2007
strategic plan, 2006 will be the last year youngsters can
sit on a mall Santa's lap without first passing through a
metal detector.

* Properly prepared, figgy pudding is a potent aphrodisiac.

* The average height of a Christmas tree (5' 4") is exactly
the same as the distance between Jesus's hands on the cross.

* Tinsel is an excellent garnish for chicken or veal.

* "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was banned from the airwaves
and bookstores from 1950-1956 because of its implied support
for Communism.

* Pope Gregory moved Christmas from its original day, March 17,
at the request of Irish bishops and barley farmers who were
promoting a new holiday to commemorate Saint Patrick.

* Eggnog was created after its predecessors beefnog, hamnog and
troutnog failed miserably.

* The reason you almost never see purple Christmas lights is
that Saint Nicholas, the prototype for Santa Clause, believed
purple was satanic. He even threatened to have any of his
parishioners who wore purple excommunicated.

* Reindeer feces have been known to burn holes in roof shingles.

* For nine years following the 1843 publication of "A Christmas
Carol," Ebenezer was the most popular boys' name in Great
Britain.



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Copyright 2006 by Chris White

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