Some Facts for Christmas 2023 / Today is Christmas Day; Monday, December 25, 2023.

The last time Christmas fell on a Monday was in 2017 and the next time we celebrate Christmas on a Monday will be in the year 2028.  Because of leap year in 2024, Christmas next year will be on a Wednesday – and the next time Christmas falls on a Sunday will be the year 2033. 

Here are a few more Christmas facts:

• Today is Christmas Day – but there are actually Twelve Days of Christmas (just like the song tells us).  Christmas is based on the Christian liturgical calendar and starts on Christmas Day, the day we celebrate Christ’s birth.  The twelfth day of Christmas falls on Epiphany which is January 6, 2024.  That’s the day that celebrates the wise men coming to see the Christ child.
• 160 nations around the world recognize Christmas as a holiday.
• Christmas has not always been a holiday in America.  The early Puritans (the Pilgrims) thought of Christmas as a Roman Catholic or Anglican holiday and at least one colony outlawed Christmas.  The holiday was not widely celebrated in the United States until the mid-1800’s.
• Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as a holiday in 1836.  Oklahoma was the last state to recognize Christmas as a holiday and that didn’t happen until 1907.
• Most of the customs Americans celebrate at Christmas came from England and Germany.
• The tradition of the reigning monarch in the United Kingdom addressing their subjects was a tradition started by King George V in 1932.  Queen Elizabeth II continued the tradition her father started.  King Charles will address the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth nations today just as his mother and grandfather have done for 91 years.
• Christmas is a relatively new tradition in Japan and was popularized by American and British troops who occupied the country after World War II.  Service men and women missed having turkey on Christmas Day and the next best thing was chicken.  So today, one of the most popular traditions for Christmas in Japan is to order a bucket of KFC.  It all started when a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise started advertising “Christmas Chicken” in 1974.  This year around 3.6 million Japanese will feast on the Colonel’s original recipe to celebrate the Yuletide.
• Christmas cookies are a tradition that dates back to the mid-1500’s.  It is estimated every American consumes 300 cookies each year.
• Ham? Turkey? Beef Roast? Chicken? Goose? Fish? – The favorite Christmas meat for most Americans varies widely depending on cultural background and budget.  The folks at the National Turkey Federation say about 22 million turkeys are purchased at Christmas.  In New England, fish and roast beef are a common Christmas protein.  In the United Kingdom, goose was considered the traditional Christmas meat – but most British now opt for the American turkey instead of the English goose.  In Hispanic cultures, fish, beef or chicken is often served for Christmas.  In the South – most Southerners opt for turkey or ham.
• One thing almost all Americans agree on for Christmas is potatoes! 91% of Americans say either roasted or mashed potatoes will be served with Christmas meals.
• The first passenger train in the United States began regular service on Christmas Day, 1830 in Charleston, South Carolina.
• President Ulysses S. Grant declared the day a holiday for Federal workers, but referred to it as “December 25th, commonly called ‘Christmas’.” President Benjamin Harrison erected the first Christmas Tree at the White House in 1889.  First Lady Mamie Eisenhower began decorating the Blue Room of the White House and her predecessor First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy expanded the decorations at the White House and took Americans on a televised tour – a tradition that has continued.

(AM 1180 Chattooga County Radio)