Dec. 24 Insight: A few interesting facts about the celebration of Christmas

A few interesting facts about the celebration of Christmas

(The December 24  Insight from Spirituality U. at Interfaith Paths to Peace)

1.   In 350 CE Pope Julius I set the celebration of the birth of Jesus on December 25, covering the date celebrated as Saturnalia by Pagans. No one knows the actual date on which Jesus was born. 
    
2.  Christmas has been an official US holiday since 1870. 
    
3. St. Francis of Assisi created the first Nativity Scene.    
4. Martin Luther was the first person to decorate a Christmas tree with lights by adding candles to his tree after seeing the stars through the branches of a fir tree. 
     
5. The best selling recording of all time is White Christmas (written by Jewish composer Irving Berlin) and sung by Bing Crosby. Second is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer sung by Gene Autrey.
       
6. Santa Claus is based loosely on St. Nicholas of Smyrna who lived in the fourth century. 
    
7. The contemporary concept of Santa Claus came to what is now the US with Dutch settlers in the 1600s.    
8. On Christmas Eve, Bolivians cerebrate "The Mass of the Rooster" since they believe the rooster was the first animal to announce the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. 
     
9. The contemporary visual image of Santa Claus was created by cartoonist Thomas Nast in 1881.  
    
10. The poem now known as "The Night before Christmas" was written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822.    
11. The first Christmas card was created in 1843 and each year more than three billion cards are mailed in the US.    
12. 12.  During WW I, at Christmas time combatants on both sides put down their weapons and met in no man's land between the trenches to exchange gifts and holiday greetings.     
13. 13.  On the 12 days of Christmas my true love gave to me a total of 364 gifts costing $114,651.18. 
       
14. 14.  Christmas trees have been sold in the US since 1850 and more than 35 million trees are sold each year in the US.    
15. 15.  When Santa delivers presents on Christmas Eve, he travels 221 million miles, makes 842 million stops, and warms the hearts of 2 billion children. 
     
16. 16.  Because Santa is a mythic character he can be whatever color children wish him to be. J