Christmas - Interesting Usless Information

Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria of England, was credited with introducing the German custom of the Christmas tree into the English home in 1841.

Seventy-five percent of Americans do not believe that public references to the "birth of Christ and Christmas" should be avoided in businesses, schools, and other public venues in order to keep from offending non-Christian Americans during this holiday season.

Shortly after Christmas in Poland, people travel in horse-drawn sleighs for the Kulig, or winter sleigh party. Families gather in the forest, light fires, and prepare festive meals. They traditionally celebrate with dancing and fireworks later that evening.

St. Nicholas was bishop of the Turkish town of Myra in the early fourth century. It was the Dutch who first made him into a Christmas gift-giver, and Dutch settlers brought him to America where his name eventually became the familiar Santa Claus.

Ten percent of American households leave milk and cookies for Santa Claus.

Okay Get Your Cocoa Warm Up There Is More... Queen Victoria

Christmas trees are known to have been popular in Germany as far back as the sixteenth century. In England, they became popular after Queen Victoria's husband Albert, who came from Germany, made a tree part of the celebrations at Windsor Castle. In the United States, the earliest known mention of a Christmas tree is in the diary of a German who settled in Pennsylvania

Cultured Christmas trees must be shaped as they grow to produce fuller foliage. To slow the upward growth and to encourage branching, they are hand-clipped in each spring. Trees grown in the wild have sparser branches, and are known in the industry as "Charlie Brown" trees.

During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, the log burned was called the "Yule log." Sometimes a piece of the Yule log would be kept to kindle the fire the following winter, to ensure that the good luck carried on from year to year. The Yule log custom was handed down from the Druids

During World War II it was necessary for Americans to mail Christmas gifts early for the troops in Europe to receive them in time. Merchants joined in the effort to remind the public to shop and mail early and the protracted shopping season was born

Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in 1895. The idea for using electric Christmas lights came from an American, Ralph E. Morris. The new lights proved safer than the traditional candles.