Christmas Facts
- The word Christmas is Old English and is a contraction of Christ’s Mass.
- The 25th of December was not celebrated as the birthday of Christ until the year AD 440.
- Each year more than 35 million Christmas trees are produced.
- In 1895 Ralph Morris, an American telephone operator, invented the string of electric Christmas lights similar to the ones you use today. The actual strings of lights had already been manufactured for use in telephone switchboards. Morris looked at the tiny bulbs and had the idea of using them on his tree.
- The famous ‘Jingle Bells’ song was first written for Thanksgiving and then became one of the most popular Christmas songs.
- If you received all of the gifts in the song ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas,’ you would receive 364 of them.
- The poinsettia plant was brought into the United States from Mexico by Joel Poinsett in the early 1800’s.
- In 1843, “A Christmas Carol” was written by Charles Dickens in just six weeks.
- Christmas became a national holiday in the U.S. on June, 26, 1870.
- Traditionally, Christmas trees are taken down after Epiphany, January 6.
New Year’s Resolutions
- A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.
- My New Year’s resolution is to be more optimistic by keeping my cup half-full…with alcohol.
- I resolve to no longer attempt to perform stunts with my car on small bridges.
- My New Year’s resolution is to start buying lottery tickets at a luckier store.
- I resolve not tell the same story at every get-together.
- I resolve to stop hanging out with people who ask me about my New Year’s resolutions.
- May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.
- I resolve to spend less time worrying about myself and more about others.
