Add Up Articles Directory | Free Articals | New Articles Daily | Some Interesting Bits And Pieces About Christmas That You Ought To Be Aware Of

Children look forward to Christmas as soon as it is over and see it as a very magical celebration full of presents, baked goodies, and snow. Businessmen look forward to the Yuletide season because it is the time of year when they make the most sales. Most look forward to this time of the year as to get together with family and friends and simply enjoy this time with loved ones.

Yet, though Christmas is an unchanging tradition, many of us don't know exactly how some Christmas traditions we love so much even got started or what they represent.

Here goes twelve very fascinating did-you-knows about Christmas:

• Did you know that Christmas is an Old English term and a contraction for Christ's Mass?
• Did you know that Christmas was assigned a fixed day in the 4th century as decreed by Pope Julius I and was intended to replace the pagan celebration for the winter solstice. Before this papal decree, Christmas had no fixed day of celebration and was observed at various times of the year.
• Did you know that the first Christmas cards were designed by J. C. Horsley in 1843 and the first commemorative Christmas stamp was distributed in Austria in 1937?
• Did you know kissing under the mistletoe has a long tradition of having magical properties among the Celtics and Teutonic peoples? They believe that the mistletoe has the capacity for healing wound and improving fertility.
• Did you know the twelve days of Christmas stands for the days between Christmas Day and Epiphany? Christmas season officially starts at sundown of the 24th of December through sundown of the 5th of January.
• Did you know that Christmas trees were a German tradition dating back to the 8th century? It was not only when Prince Albert put up a tree in Windsor Castle coming from a trip in Germany.
• Did you know Jesus Christ was born in a cave and not in a manger, contrary to popular belief? Instead of stables, caves were used to keep animals due to the heat. The nativity scene so common today is the American version rather than the Biblical one.
• Did you know Xmas is a derivation from the Greek alphabet? Chi is a Greek letter written as X in the English alphabet. Xmas was a religious contraction used in tables and charts. Xmas certainly doesn't mean someone took "Christ" out of Christmas.
• Did you know that the song Jingle Bells was originally entitled One-Horse Open Sleigh by its composer James Pierpont? It was intended to be a song for Thanksgiving but became one of the most popular and beloved Christmas carols.
• Did you know that if you receive all the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas", you will be the very happy recipient of a total of 364 gifts?
• Did you know that St. Nicholas was a simple bishop and it was the Dutch who made him into the beloved Christmas gift-giver? When the Dutch pioneers arrived in the North America they brought this tradition with them and later on became Santa Claus.
• Did you know church bell ringing on Christmas morning has been a tradition dating back to the medieval times? It announced the birth and coming of the Saviour to the world and people in the 18th century wore a small bell to commemorate this very important occasion.

Christmas is such a wonderful time for both children and grown ups. It's a time for friends and relatives, even people you don't know, to gather and enjoy this special time together. Giving gifts stand for the appreciation we have for all the good things the people around us have done.