Traditions
Decorations
Movies
Believe It or Not!
Literature
Christmisc.
100
Henry Cole, the first director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, was the first person to send one of these in 1843.
A Christmas Card - The Victoria & Albert Museum holds more than 30,000 examples of greeting cards, more than half of which are Christmas.
100
The first artificial versions of this Christmas decoration centerpiece were made in 19th century Germany out of dyed goose feathers.
Christmas Trees
100
One of the most highly acclaimed actors of our time for movies like Castaway and Forest Gump, he played six different roles in the 2004 animated hit, The Polar Express.
Tom Hanks
100
These, the biggest of "Santa's little helpers," were originally named Flossie, Glossie, Racer, Pacer, Ready, Steady, Feckless and Fireball.
Santa's Reindeer
100
"And what happened, then? Well, in Whoville they say [this fictional character created by Dr. Seuss]'s small heart grew three sizes that day!"
The Grinch
100
The largest of these frozen bits of water ever observed fell during a snowstorm in Montana in 1887, where witnesses claimed they were “larger than milk pans” (approx. 15 inches wide).
Snowflakes
200
According to History.com, in 1670, this familiar treat came into being when the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral handed out sugar sticks to keep his young charges quiet during the Christmas Eve service and, to honor the occasion, had the candies bent into shepherds' crooks.
Candy Canes
200
The name of this kiss-inviting Christmas decoration comes from its process of germination through the droppings of birds that eat its berries, hence its name, which translates in German to "dung on a twig."
Mistletoe
200
Only eight years-old when she starred in Miracle on 34th Street, this actress confessed in her biography that she had still believed in Santa Claus at the time and had thought Edmund Gwenn, the actor who played Santa in the movie, had been the real deal.
Natalie Wood
200
If you carefully duplicate the lyrics of this cumulative Christmas tune, someone special in your life would end up with 364 rather redundant gifts, and you would end up nearly $200,000 closer to the poorhouse.
The 12 Days of Christmas
200
The newest addition to Santa's sleigh team first appeared in 1939 when the Montgomery Wards asked one of its copywriters to create a Christmas story for kids that they could distribute as a promotion.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
200
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree is a 1958 holiday classic by this Grammy Award winning singer, known for Break it to Me Gently and I'm Sorry, when she was only 13 year-old.
Brenda Lee
300
According to legend, this tradition started one Christmas Eve when, to help a poor widower who didn't have money for his daughters' dowries, St Nicholas dropped three bars of gold down their chimney, which landed in the freshly-laundered hosiery hanging there to dry.
Hanging Stockings
300
This glitzy, mass-produced, mostly plastic, tree-trimming decoration was originally spun from real silver in Germany in the early 1600's.
Tinsel
300
This 1946 movie, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, was considered a failure until its copyright lapsed in 1974, allowing it to be broadcast for free, and is now considered one of the greatest films of all time.
It's a Wonderful Life
300
Every year you’ll find millions of Japanese families sitting down to a hearty Christmas dinner from this chicken-centered fast food franchise, with orders placed months in advance.
KFC
300
The original first volume of this beloved book by Louisa May Alcott showcases the lives of the March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy from Christmas Day, 1863, to Christmas Day, 1864.
Little Women
300
It didn't come at Christmas, but the largest present in the world was given to the United States in 1885, is over 150 feet tall, weighs 225 tons, and would have required 11,000 square feet of wrapping paper.
The State of Liberty
400
Dating back to the 13th century, this tradition was neither specific to Christmas nor involved singing, but simply people going house to house and wishing their neighbors good fortune and wellbeing.
Caroling (Wassailing)
400
This decoration began as a symbol of Christ, the original holly branches and leaves representing the crown of thorns at His crucifixion, and the red berries the blood He shed.
A Christmas Wreath
400
In the 1993 animated musical/fantasy, the Nightmare Before Christmas, this King of Halloween Town tries to take over Christmas Town.
Jack Skellington
400
This early 19th century writer not only penned the most famous Halloween story ever written, Sleepy Hallow, but is also considered to have shaped the western concept of Santa Claus, launching the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York in 1835 and served as its secretary until 1841.
Washington Irving
400
You may have never heard of this novel, written in 1816 by the German author Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, but the ballet that is based on and is named after is the single most famous ballet in the world, being performed an untold number of times since 1892.
The Nutcracker
400
Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving, sees lots of shoppers heading to the mall, and Black Monday, or Cyber Monday, sees a lot of internet sales, but the two busiest shopping days of the year remain these.
The two days before Christmas
500
The famous holiday tradition of tracking Santa's Christmas Eve progress around the world by satellite started in the 1950s when a young child accidentally called this bi-national command center looking for jolly ol' Saint Nick.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)
500
These charming "look but don't eat" decorations with their icing trim became popular after the Brothers Grimm published their tale of Hansel and Gretel.
Gingerbread Houses
500
500
During World War II, The United States Playing Card Company joined forces with American and British intelligence agencies to create a very special deck of cards which were distributed as Christmas gifts to allied POWs and, when wet, peeled apart to reveal this.
Escape Routes
500
Clement Clarke Moore's iconic 1823 poem is commonly (but mistakenly) referred to as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas because of its famous first line, but its real title is this.
A Visit from St. Nicholas
500
La Noche de Rábanos is a century-old holiday celebrated every December 23 in Oaxaca, Mexico, that began when vegetable merchants tried to attract shoppers on their way to and from Christmas church services with intricate displays, carving everything from holy symbols to complete nativity scenes out of this particular root vegetable.
Radishes
