Holiday Films
The McCallister family home in "Home Alone" is a real house located at 671 Lincoln Avenue in this affluent Chicago suburb.
Winnetka, Illinois
Chicago's Christkindlmarket, which opened in 1996, is modeled after the famous Christkindlesmarkt in WBEZ Chicago this German city, which has been held since 1545
Nuremberg
In Caracas, this South American country, it's tradition to roller skate to early morning Christmas mass—the government even closes roads to cars so everyone can skate safely to church
Venezuela
Despite its name, traditional British Christmas "plum pudding" contains no actual plums—"plum" was Victorian-era slang for this dried fruit
Raisins
In 1927, a Finnish radio broadcaster revealed that Santa's secret workshop was located in Korvatunturi, a mountain in Lapland shaped like this body part, which Santa supposedly uses to listen to children worldwide
An ear
Will Ferrell improvised this iconic insult directed at the fake mall Santa in "Elf": "You sit on a throne of lies!"—along with telling him he smells like this meat and this dairy product
Beef and cheese
The Walnut Room at Macy's on State Street holds the distinction of being America's first of these establishments ever located inside a department store, opening in 1907
Answer: Restaurant
The city of San Fernando in this Southeast Asian country hosts a spectacular Giant Lantern Festival where massive, colorful star-shaped parols light up the night—it's called the "Christmas Capital" of the country.
The Phillipines
The French Bûche de Noël is shaped like a log to commemorate this ancient tradition of burning a real one in the fireplace from Christmas Eve until Twelfth Night.
The Yule Log
In 1950, this former U.S. First Lady visited Rovaniemi, Finland, during a tour of post-war reconstruction and allegedly asked to see Santa Claus, helping establish the town as his "official hometown.
Eleanor Roosevelt
CBS executives nearly killed "A Charlie Brown Christmas" before it aired because it had no laugh track, used real children's voices, featured jazz music, and included this controversial element that had never appeared in a cartoon special.
A Bible reading
After years at Daley Plaza, Chicago's official Christmas tree was moved to this location in 2015, where it has remained as part of the city's tree lighting ceremony ever since.
Millennium Park
Since 1974, this American fast-food chain has become Japan's traditional Christmas dinner, with families ordering weeks in advance— the chain earns one-third of its annual Japanese sales on December 24th alone
Japan
Despite being closely associated with Italy, the "Feast of the Seven Fishes" is actually virtually unknown there— this meatless Christmas Eve tradition developed among immigrants from this country in early 1900s America.
Italy
NORAD's Santa tracking tradition began in 1955 when a Colorado Springs newspaper ad contained a misprint—children calling to speak with Santa accidentally reached the hotline for this military organization instead.
CONAD (Continental Air Defense Command)
Jim Carrey found the Grinch makeup process so unbearable that producers brought in a specialist who trains operatives at this government agency to endure torture
The CIA
The Joffrey Ballet's reimagined "Nutcracker" is set during this specific 1893 Chicago event, with the Drosselmeyer character reimagined as a Daniel Burnham-like "Great Impresario."
The World's Columbian Exposition (Or Chicago World's Fair)
While Americans believe Santa lives at the North Pole, in Europe it's widely accepted that Santa's official hometown is Rovaniemi, located in this country
In 1826, cadets at this U.S. military institution staged a riot over Christmas eggnog when alcohol was banned, resulting in 11 expulsions— Confederate President Jefferson Davis may have been among them.
West Point
The German "Christkind" (Christ Child) was introduced by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation to replace St. Nicholas—ironically, the name was later corrupted into this alternate American name for Santa Claus.
Kris Kringle
When Uncle Billy stumbles off-screen drunk in "It's a Wonderful Life," the crashing sound was actually a crew member accidentally dropping equipment. Director Frank Capra kept the take and paid the stagehand this amount as a bonus.
$10
From 1956 to 2008, Chicago's official Christmas tree was secretly constructed using this method—a CBS investigation revealed the 2008 version used 113 of them and cost $300,000.
Multiple smaller trees assembled together (not a single tree)
This Italian gift-bringer is a kindly witch who delivers presents on Epiphany Eve, January 5th, supposedly because she refused to join the Three Wise Men and has searched for baby Jesus ever since.
La Befana
In the 1950s, candy cane manufacturer Bob McCormack struggled with a 22% breakage rate during production. His brother-in-law, who held this religious occupation, invented a machine that automated the bending process and saved the candy cane industry.
Catholic priest (Father Gregory Keller)
In the original 1823 printing of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," the last two reindeer weren't named Donner and Blitzen—they had these Dutch names meaning "thunder and lightning."
Dunder and Blixem