Holiday
“Feliz Navidad” directly translated into English means “Happy Birth”.
True.
“Feliz” means “happy”. “Navidad” translates to nativity, which also means birth.
The modern English words to the advent carol "O Come Emmanuel" were written by a man with the surname Death
False
That version was in fact written by a Mr Henry Sloane Coffin, based on a much earlier medieval one.
The holiday classic "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer"was written as an advertising jingle for Montgomery Ward
True: "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer" was written by Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company.
3 Ghost show up in "A Christmas Carol"
False: Four ghost show up in A Christmas Carol.
The first Christmas card was created and sent in London in 1840.
True.
John C. Horsley created his own card in 1840. The idea caught on, and his card was re-printed in 1843.
“Noel” comes from Old French, meaning “new birth”.
True.
Oui, oui. Noel is tres French, an old word which is related to the nouvelle, meaning “new”.
"Jingle Bells" was always intended to be a Christmas song.
False
The now-classic holiday tune "Jingle Bells" was written in the mid-19th century by James Pierpont while he experienced a bout of homesickness while living in Savannah, GA.
In the Hollywood movie " It's a Wonderful Life" the "White Christmas," song first appeared.
False: Irving Berlin wrote “White Christmas” and 11 other songs for the 1942 film Holiday Inn.
Baby Jesus was born in Egypt.
False: Baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
The most popular selling Christmas Carol of all time is “Silent Night”.
False.
Although “Silent Night” is popular in many countries, Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is the top seller.
Santa’s flying sleigh and reindeer originated from stories in the 1800’s.
False.
The idea originated from early legends of Viking gods flying through the skies on animal-pulled sleighs.
George Washington loved eggnog.
True
The Founding Father even had his own boozy recipe where he forgot to note the number of eggs needed but included the (albeit important) instruction, "Taste frequently."
Maria Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is one of the few modern songs to be added to the holiday son canon.
True: Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was released in 1994 and became an instant classic.
The movie Miracle on 34th Street is based on a real-life department store.
True: The movie Miracle on 34th Street is based on Macy's.
“Nog” in eggnog refers to a heavy noggin (head) from drinking too much.
False.
“Nog” is another term for “grog”, which is a rum-based drink. Eggnog is sometimes served with rum.
Kris Kringle was the name of an early Dutch Santa Claus figure.
False.
Kris Kringle is an Americanization of the German gift giver “Christ-kindl”, or “Christ Child”.
A soda company was the first to use Santa Claus in an advertisement.
True
The Coca-Cola soda company was the first to use Santa Claus in an advertisement.
Mahalia Jackson gospel singer is known for her classic rendition of "Joy to the World".
True: Mahalia Jackson, one of Chicago’s most beloved gospel singers, released a well-known version of "Joy to the World" in 1962.
The two most popular names for Santa Claus is Saint Kringle and Kris Nick.
False: The two most popular names for Santa Claus is Kris Kringle and Saint Nick.
Sleigh rides with jingle bells is a favorite Christmas activity in Australia.
False.
Christmas in Australia occurs during summertime. A beach barbecue is a popular Christmas Day event.
Santa Claus is largely unknown in places like Japan and China.
False.
Santa Claus has become a popular holiday figure in both Japan and China, not necessarily for Christmas.
There are no plums in plum pudding.
True
Dates and raisins, which are found in plum pudding, used to be referred to as plums.
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" was written in 1934.
False: "Winter Wonderland" was written in 1934 and has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Perry Como, The Andrews Sisters and Dolly Parton.
Traditional people put an Angel on top of the Christmas Tree.
True: Traditional people put an Angel on top of the Christmas Tree.
Candy canes were created to keep children quiet during church services.
True.
A Cologne Cathedral Choirmaster gave shepherds crook-shaped candy to kids during long nativity services.