FACTS WITH PENDUSKY (THE CHRISTMAS EDITION)

Welcome to a special edition of Facts With Pendusky. Let's roll with some interesting facts about Christmas....

      I.        The Statue of Liberty was gifted to the United States by the French on Christmas day in 1886. It weighs 225 tons and thus you could consider it as the biggest Christmas gift in the world.

    II.        Christmas supposedly marks the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25. But there is no mention of December 25 in the Bible and most historians actually believe he was born in the spring.

   III.        The well-known reason we give presents at Christmas is to symbolize the gifts given to baby Jesus by the three wise men.

  IV.        Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas, a Christian bishop living in (what is now) Turkey in the fourth century AD. St. Nicholas had inherited a great deal of wealth and was known for giving it away to help the needy. When sainted, he became the protector of children.

   V.        Though Santa Claus has worn blue and white and green in the past, his traditional red suit came from a 1930s advert by Coca Cola.

  VI.        “Silent Night” is the most recorded Christmas song in history, with over 733 different versions copyrighted since 1978.

 VII.        “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” actually has a truly depressing back-story: songwriter James "Haven" Gillespie was broke, jobless, and his brother had just died when he was asked to write a Christmas song. He was originally too overcome with grief, but eventually found inspiration in his brother’s death and the Christmas memories they had together.

VIII.        If you gave all the gifts listed in the Twelve Days of Christmas, it would equal 364 gifts

  IX.        ‘Jingle Bells’ – the popular Christmas song was composed by James Pierpont in Massachusetts, America. It was, however, written for thanksgiving and not Christmas.

    X.        Coca-Cola was the first company that used Santa Claus during the winter season for promotion.

  XI.        There is also a website – www.christmas.com. However, the site is a commercial space on the web. You can shop a variety of things and products related with this giant festival celebrated in various parts of the world. Also there is a website dedicated for Christmas countdown - http://www.xmasclock.com/

 XII.        More than 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the U.S. alone, every year. The business of ‘Christmas cards’ is huge, if you are looking for one.

XIII.        Christmas tree decoration is believed to have originated in the 16th century in Germany.

XIV.        The ‘X’ in X-Mas, as we all use today, comes from the Greek meaning of ‘X’ i.e. Christ.

XV.        Christmas trees were first decorated with fruits (mainly apples), and then later on people started using candles, and then electric lights (1895) to decorate these trees.

XVI.        The Friday and Saturday before Christmas are the busiest shopping days and not the Black Friday.

XVII.        The largest floating Christmas tree in the world — 278 feet tall — is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

XVIII.        Japanese spend their Christmas Eve eating in KFCs. This is a popular tradition in Japan so much that customers have to book their seats 2 months in advance.

XIX.        Approximately 35 million Christmas trees are produced during the Christmas season to keep pace with the demand.

XX.        The most expensively dressed Christmas tree–valued at $11,026,900–(about 4billion naira) was seen in the United Arab Emirates last year.

Which is the most weird fact? Please use the comments box. #FactsWithPendusky.

 

 Ubong Effiong also known as Pendusky is a Customer Experience Management Personnel with Sterling Bank Plc.