CHRISTMAS TRIVIA
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, Americans buy 37.1 million real Christmas trees each year; 25 percent of them are from the nation's 5,000 choose-and-
cut farms.
Candy canes began as straight white sticks of sugar candy used to decorated the Christmas trees. A choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral decided have the ends bent to depict a shepherd's crook and he would pass them out to the children to keep them quiet during the services. It wasn't until about the 20th century that candy canes acquired their red stripes.
Child singer Jimmy Boyd was 12 years and 11 months old when he sang the Christmas favorite, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." The song hit the top of the pop charts.
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.
Frustrated at the lack of interest in his new toy invention, Charles Pajeau hired several midgets, dressed them in elf costumes, and had them play with "Tinker Toys" in a display window at a Chicago department store during the Christmas season in 1914. This publicity stunt made the construction toy an instant hit. A year later, over a million sets of Tinker Toys had been sold.
The real St. Nicholas lived in Turkey, where he was bishop of the town of Myra, in the early 4th 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.
HO, HO, HO!!! Merry Christmas, Everyone!!
Great trivia just in time for Christmas. I had tinker toys, just to think the 'elves' started the interest.
ReplyDeleteMJ, we always had Tinker Toys, too. Those and Lincoln Logs had to be some of the best.
ReplyDeleteOhhh, I miss Tinker Toys. I loved those things.
ReplyDeleteAnd those little white building blocks, the kind of blocks with circles on the top for other blocks to fit onto? Some were white, others were clear for windows. Do you know what I'm thinking of?
Mary Ann, I'm trying to place those building blocks, but they sound like a forerunner to Legos???
ReplyDeleteI thought I knew alot about Christmas.. but you schooled me again my friend!
ReplyDeleteI was schooled, too!
ReplyDelete