10 facts about Christmas that every gentleman will find mind-blowing
Words: Guy Aubrey Devito
What people used to eat instead of turkey, why Jesus wasn’t born in a stable and an environmental warning about the use of Christmas trees. Here are 10 facts about Christmas that every gentleman will find mind-blowing.
JINGLE BELLS WAS THE FIRST SONG BROADCAST FROM SPACE
This was sung by Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra, two of the first men in space, on the 16th of December 1965.
TURKEY HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN A CHRISTMAS DINNER FAVOURITE
Before England had its first colony in the Americas (Jamestown), goose and pigs head were the traditional Christmas meats. Goose was more popular than Turkey in the UK and Europe until the early 20th century.
SANTA’S FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
A study by US scientists estimated that Santa would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world’s presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second.
JESUS WAS ACTAULLY BORN IN A CAVE
Biblical academics have hypothesised that Jesus was probably born in a cave – not a stable as the mythology dictates.
MINCE PIES WERE ORIGINALLY MEATY
The first mince pies were actually savoury and made with mutton, veal and neat’s tongue. It wasn’t until late Victorian times that people dispensed with the meat and just used fruit and spices.
TEDDY ROOSEVELT BANNED CHRISTMAS TREES FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
Not because he was a grinch, but because he was an environmentalist. He was passionate about trees and nature and didn’t want to encourage Christmas trees by having one in the White House.
CAROLS WERE’T ORIGINALLY SUNG IN CHURCHES
They were sung by revellers on the streets, rather than in churches and weren’t introduced to religious services until the 13th century by St Francis of Assisi.
OLIVER CROMWELL BANNED CHRISTMAS
The republican behemoth was a puritanical sort and didn’t approve of Christmas. He banned it in 1647 and it remained banned until 1660.
ONE MAN CAME UP WITH THE CHRISTMAS CARD
Sir Henry Cole commissioned British illustrator John Callcott Horsley to design and make the first ever Christmas card in 1843.
IRVING BERLIN BEATS THE BEATLES AND ELVIS
It is estimated that Irving Berlin’s song White Christmas, sung by Bing Crosby, is the bestselling single of all time.
CHRISTMAS IS INFUSED WITH PAGAN TRADITIONS
Mistletoe has been synonymous with winter for thousands of years and has played an important role in druidic mythology. Christmas lights derive from winter solstice celebrations, where lanterns would be used to illuminate the streets on the darkest day of the year.
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