Gearing up for the holidays? Whether you’re planning to visit extended family or spending it with friends, this holiday season come prepared to party with some fun, hardly known holiday facts!
1) Paul McCartney earns $400,000 a year from his “Wonderful Christmastime” song, widely regarded as the worst song he ever recorded.
Paul McCartney may earn a whopping $400,000 a year from his Christmas song, Wonderful Christmastime. However, it’s often lauded as being one of the worst Christmas songs to ever be recorded. While we don’t have any strong opinions on the song itself, we will admit that he’s no Mariah Carey and the song is no All I Want for Christmas is You
2) Mariah Carey has earned roughly 72 million dollars from her hit song All I Want for Christmas is You
Some might call her the Queen of Christmas others can’t stand her Christmas tunes, whichever side you fall on the numbers don’t lie. Mariah Carey has earned roughly 72 million dollars from her hit song All I Want for Christmas is You. Despite being released in 1994, this song regularly tops the charts, often hitting #1 and staying there throughout the season.
3) Jingle Bells was originally a song about Thanksgiving in 1857. It also was the first song ever played in space, by astronauts Walter Schirra, Jr. and Thomas P. Stafford.
This one might blow your mind because it definitely blew ours! The original song, Jingle Bells, was a song that was referring to the New England sleigh races that were popular in the 1800s. After Pierpont performed the song during a Thanksgiving concert, it was officially published in 1857.
But the song’s history doesn’t end there. It was also the first song ever played in space by astronauts Walter Schirra, Jr. and Thomas P. Stafford. On December 16th, 1965 it was broadcast during NASA’s Gemini 6A space flight thus cementing it in our history books forever.
4) A popular tradition in Japan is to eat KFC for Christmas. It is so popular, in fact, that orders must be placed two months in advance.
What makes the holiday season so special is all the unique traditions people have created to celebrate all over the world. Japan has decided to place a twist on the traditional holiday meal and we’re not mad about it. In Japan, it is tradition to order KFC for Christmas Day. This tradition is so popular in fact that orders must be placed at least 2 months in advance! What does a traditional holiday meal look like in your home?
5) Franklin Pierce was the first U.S. President to put up an official White House Christmas tree.
It’s hard to imagine Christmas without a Christmas tree but until Franklin Pierce became president in 1853, the White House never really decorated in the same way they do today. But what inspired the decorations? Franklin Pierce’s wife had recently lost her son in 1856. Completely inconsolable and rightfully depressed, Franklin Pierce was desperate to bring some joy and light into their lives and home, which at the time, was the White House. Pierce invited school children to sing carols and for Anne to read them Christmas stories. A somber start with a beautiful ending, today the White House is known for its elaborate holiday decorations.
6) The abbreviation X in X-mas is not an abbreviation; it actually stands for “Chi,” meaning Christ in Greek.
This one kind of blew our minds. X in Greek stands for “chi” according to dictionary.com. For centuries X has been an accepted abbreviation for Christ. The “mas” in X-mas comes from the Catholic word for church service, mass.