MOVIES
CAROLS
TRADITIONS
MID-CENTURY
GLOBAL
100
Filmed on location during the actual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1947
Miracle on 34th Street
100
Most successful Christmas song ever (the best-selling single of all time)
"White Christmas"
Written by Irving Berlin, who ironically didn’t celebrate Christmas (he was Jewish). Bing Crosby’s 1942 recording became a comfort to U.S. troops during WWII
100
The shepherd's crook delicacy
Candy cane
100
Popular in the 1950s and ’60s, these were lit with a rotating color wheel because you couldn’t put lights directly on them
Aluminum trees
100
Invented in the 1840s by Tom Smith, a London confectioner, these “pop” when pulled apart
Christmas crackers
200
Instead of using crushed cornflakes (which were loud), special effects pioneer Russell Shearman created fake snow from soap, water, and fire-fighting chemicals. This new, quiet method earned an Academy Award technical achievement in this holiday classic film
It’s a Wonderful Life
200
Started as a Montgomery Ward department store booklet in 1939
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
200
Originated from a hot, milky drink in medieval Britain called “posset"
Egg nog
200
This TV special shocked audiences by including real children’s voices and no laugh track—a first for holiday animation
The First Peanuts Christmas Special (1965): A Charlie Brown Christmas
200
Famous woody shrub native to Mexico
Poinsettia
300
This comedy features a lamp shaped like a leg and a boy who wants a BB gun
A Christmas Story
300
This 1818 Austrian carol was first performed with guitar accompaniment
Silent Night
300
Originally burned at Christmas, later became desserts
Yule logs
300
Alvin, Simon, and Theodore wanted a hula hoop in this novelty Christmas hit (1958)
"The Chipmunk Song" (Christmas Don’t Be Late)
300
A 1974 marketing campaign made this restaurant's specialty a beloved Christmas meal in Japan
KFC
400
Became the highest-grossing film of 1954
White Christmas
400
It was the first song broadcast from space by astronauts in 1965
Jingle Bells
400
This is a parasitic evergreen plant, stealing water and nutrients but also making some food via photosynthesis
Mistletoe
400
First issued in 1933, this thick holiday catalog became a mid-century Christmas staple for children’s wish lists.
Sears Wish Book
400
True or false: According to Portuguese legend, on January 6th (Epiphany), a friendly old witch named La Befana delivers sweets and toys to children
False! The legend comes from Italy, not Portugal.
✨ Fun fact: According to folklore, she missed the Wise Men’s invitation to visit baby Jesus—so she travels the world searching for him each year.
500
Puppets for this movie were made in Japan; each figure was only about 4–8 inches tall
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
500
Written by songwriters trapped in a heatwave in California in July 1945
🌨️ Let It Snow!
500
The first artificial trees were made of this material in Germany
Goose feathers (dyed green)
500
These glass ornaments, popular in the 1940s and ’50s, featured bright colors and were made in America due to war-time shortages
Shiny Brite ornaments
500
This is the reason that many Norwegians still hide their brooms during the Christmas season
A centuries-old superstition says that Christmas Eve is when witches and evil spirits come out looking for broomsticks to ride. Many Norwegians still hide their brooms to keep mischievous spirits away.
✨ Fun fact: This tradition dates back to the 1600s and the Scandinavian witch panic.