Cool Christmas Facts

During the past 2000 years, hundreds of thousands of traditions, practices and events connected with the birth of Christ have arisen.

Here are just a handful of interesting Christmas facts from throughout history:

• The commonly used abbreviation for Christmas – ‘Xmas’ – is derived from the Greek language. In the Greek alphabet, ‘X’ (the letter ‘Chi’) is the first letter of Christ’s name


• In 320 AD Pope Julius I declared 25th December as the official date on which the birth of Christ would be celebrated. In reality, Christ’s actual birthday is most likely in late September


• Oliver Cromwell banned the singing of Christmas carols in England between 1649 and 1660 as he believed that Christmas should be a strictly solemn day. During this time, Christmas was commemorated only with a sermon and prayer service


• Silent Night was written in 1818 by an Austrian priest, Joseph Mohr. Mohr was informed on Christmas Eve that the church’s organ was broken, so he quickly wrote three stanzas of a carol that could be sung accompanied by guitar music. Later that night, his church’s congregation sang ‘Stille Nacht’ for the first time. Silent Night is today one of the world’s most beloved Christmas carols


• In 1834 Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, brought the first Christmas tree to Windsor Castle for the royal family


• In 1843 the first Christmas cards were printed in England for Sir Henry Cole, who wanted to save time when writing his Christmas letters, as well as encouraging the expansion of the postal system. 1000 copies of the card were sold for a shilling each


• In 1856 President Franklin Pierce decorated the first White House Christmas tree


• At midnight on Christmas Eve 1914, firing from the German trenches suddenly stopped. A brass band began playing Christmas carols and the German soldiers came out of their trenches and approached the allies, calling ‘Merry Christmas’. At first the allied soldiers suspected a trick, but they soon climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the German soldiers. The truce lasted a few days, during which time the soldiers exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings, sang carols and even played soccer. The fighting then resumed in full fury


• In 1937 the first postage stamp that commemorated Christmas was issued in Austria


• Every year since 1947, the people of Oslo, Norway, have given a Christmas tree to the city of Westminster, England, as an expression of goodwill and gratitude for Britain’s assistance to Norway in World War II


• In 1974 the city of Darwin in Australia’s far north was devastated late on Christmas Eve and early on Christmas morning by Cyclone Tracy

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