01 Did you know?
An early electric tree
Edward H. Johnson, a colleague of Thomas Edison, displayed one of the earliest electrically illuminated Christmas trees in 1882.
Conversation starters for December
Christmas trivia with a story behind it.
Use one fact as a classroom opener, dinner-table question or Advent prompt. The goal is not a high-pressure quiz — it is one good conversation.
02 Did you know?
Jingle Bells in space
Astronauts played Jingle Bells during Gemini 6 in 1965, making it the first song performed in space.
03 Did you know?
Rockefeller’s first tree
Construction workers put up the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 1931. It was much smaller than today’s versions.
04 Did you know?
The stocking legend
A well-known Saint Nicholas legend tells of gold coins secretly dropped for a family in need, inspiring the stocking tradition.
05 Did you know?
A famous red plant
Poinsettias are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, who helped introduce the plant to the United States from Mexico.
06 Did you know?
Boxing Day
December 26 is called Boxing Day in several countries, though its exact historical origin is still debated.
07 Did you know?
Christmas in summer
In the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas arrives during summer — which can mean beaches and outdoor meals.
08 Did you know?
The twelve days
The traditional Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 25 rather than ending there.
09 Did you know?
A Norwegian gift
The large Christmas tree in London’s Trafalgar Square is an annual gift from Oslo, a tradition that began in 1947.
10 Did you know?
The abbreviation Xmas
The X in “Xmas” comes from the Greek letter chi, the first letter of Christos; it is not a modern attempt to remove the word Christ.
11 Did you know?
A very old carol
The melody associated with O Come, O Come, Emmanuel has roots in medieval church music.
12 Did you know?
NORAD’s Santa tracker
NORAD’s Santa-tracking tradition began after a child called a misprinted department-store phone number in 1955.