The 1942 "White Christmas" recording by Bing Crosby, has sold over 100 million records around the world, with at least 50 million sales as singles. "White Christmas" has been reissued annually since 1942.

“Carol of the Bells” was written in the Ukraine and was first performed Kiev University in 1916. Its original title was “Shchedryk,” which means “The Generous One,” and choirs performed it almost as a round by having singers start at different times, making the song sound much more complex than it was.

Eddie Cantor made the original recording of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” in 1934. Within twenty-four hours of its radio debut, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” had sold more than 30,000 records and a hundred thousand copies of the sheet music.

Prince Albert, the German-born husband of Queen Victoria, brought the tradition of the Christmas tree to England from Germany. A picture of the royal family gathered around their decorated tree appeared in the Illustrated London News in 1848. Very soon after, nearly every English family had a Christmas tree.

Wassail is a drink, the contents of which vary. Today, it is a drink of ale or spiced wine with apples and sugar. The recipe once included mulled ale, beaten eggs, curdled cream, roasted apples, nuts, sugar, and spices. The name comes from an Anglo-Saxon phrase that means “be well.”

Handel’s “Messiah” was actually composed as a fund-raiser for prisoners in Dublin, Ireland.

The poinsettia became the Christmas flower in 1828. The plant is native to Mexico, and as early as the 1700’s, Mexicans called the plant “flower of the blessed night” because of its resemblance to the Star of Bethlehem. In 1828, Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, brought the plant to the US, and it was re-named in his honor.

“O Holy Night” has been very controversial in its history. The words were first written as a poem called “Cantique de Noel” in 1847 by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure. For the music, Cappeau turned to his friend, Adolphe Adam (a Jewish man), for help. The song was initially accepted by the church and became increasingly popular, but when Cappeau left the church to become part of the socialist movement, and it was discovered that Adam was Jewish, the song was banned and formally denounced by the church for its lack of taste and “the total absence of the spirit of religion.”

The North Pole first appeared as Santa’s home in the cartoons of Thomas Nast. In 1882, Nast drew a cartoon showing Santa sitting on a box addressed “Christmas Box 1882, St. Nicholas, North Pole.”

The first Christmas trees were decorated with fruits and flowers. Cookies, nuts, and other kinds of food were later added. Lighted candles were also placed on the tree, making the decorations awfully heavy. Perhaps as a remedy for this problem, German glass blowers started producing light glass balls to replace the fruit and other heavy ornaments.

The tradition of bringing holly into the home comes from Northern Europe. It symbolizes rebirth and life.

In 1962, the US Post Office issued its first Christmas stamp. It showed a Christmas wreath and two candles.

It is considered bad luck to hang your new calendar before sunrise on New Year's Day. Aren't you glad I warned you??

From 1659 until 1681, it was illegal to observe Christmas in the Massachusetts colony. Anyone caught celebrating the day by feasting or failing to work was subject to a 5-shilling fine.

In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law that made it illegal to celebrate Christmas in any way other than by going to church. People were fined for hanging decorations.

“Jingle Bells” was composed in 1857 by J. Pierpont for a Sunday School celebration in Boston. It was originally called "One Horse Open Sleigh." The second verse is usually omitted, but here it is:

" A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride,
And soon Miss Fannie Bright
Was seated by my side;
The horse was lean and lank,
Misfortune seem'd his lot,
He got into a drifted bank,
And then we got upsot!"

Not very Christmassy!

“Silver Bells” was originally titled “Tinkle Bell” until the wife of one of the songwriters reminded them of the possible double-meaning of the title! So they changed it to “Silver Bells.”

“The Chipmunk Song” was released in 1958, and won a Grammy Award for the best recording in the Children's category that year.