5 things you did not know about Christmas

1. Christmas wasn’t always celebrated on December 25

Most historians say that Jesus was born in the spring and his birthday wasn’t official until the third century. Some historians believe the date was actually chosen because it coincided with the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which honored the agricultural god Saturn with celebrating and gift-giving.

2. The Christmas Tree

This tradition begins with the ancient Egyptians and Romans, who marked the winter solstice with evergreens as a reminder that spring would return, and Prince Albert of Germany was the first who introduced a tree to his new wife, drawing of the couple in front of a Christmas tree appeared in Illustrated London News in 1848.

3. Santa Claus

According to legend, the fourth-century Christian bishop Sinter Klaas (in Dutch) gave away his abundant inheritance to help the needy and rescued women from servitude, which later morphed into Santa Claus. 

4. Coca-Cola & Santa’s Image

In 1931, the Coca-Cola company hired an illustrator named Haddon Sundblom for magazine ads and recreated the Santa Claus image.

5. Rudolf The Reindeer

Appeared in 1939 when the Montgomery Ward department store asked one of its copywriters to create a Christmas story the store could give away as a promotional gimmick. The store had been giving away coloring books for years and decided to make its own to save money.

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