Christmas is a time of traditions, from decorating trees and hanging stockings to sipping eggnog by the fire. While these customs feel timeless, many of them have unexpected origins that stretch back centuries. Ancient pagan rituals, clever marketing campaigns, and practical adaptations have all played a role in shaping the holiday traditions we know today.

Over the years, these practices have evolved, blending influences from various cultures and eras. From the generosity of Saint Nicholas inspiring Christmas stockings to the Yule log’s transformation from a pagan fire ritual to a dessert, the history of these traditions is as diverse as it is fascinating. Here are 10 surprising origins behind some of Christmas’s most beloved customs.

Related: 10 Surprising Traditions Protected by UNESCO

10 Mistletoe: A Pagan Symbol of Fertility and Peace

Mistletoe has long been associated with love and romance during Christmas, but its origins trace back to ancient pagan practices. The Druids revered mistletoe as a sacred plant, believing it had magical properties to ward off evil spirits and bring fertility. During winter solstice ceremonies, they would cut mistletoe from oak trees with golden sickles and use it in rituals meant to ensure a bountiful harvest and protection for the coming year.

The tradition of kissing under mistletoe likely stems from Norse mythology. According to legend, the goddess Frigg declared mistletoe a symbol of love after it was used to resurrect her son, Balder. This association with peace and affection carried over into Christmas celebrations centuries later. The Victorians popularized the custom of kissing under the mistletoe, turning an ancient fertility rite into a romantic holiday tradition.^[1]

9 Christmas Stockings: A Charitable Legend of Saint Nicholas

The tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace originates from a 4th-century legend about Saint Nicholas. According to the story, a poor widower with three daughters could not afford dowries for his girls, leaving them destined for a life of servitude. One night, Saint Nicholas secretly dropped bags of gold coins down the chimney, which landed in the girls’ stockings that were hung by the fire to dry.

This act of generosity became intertwined with Christmas gift-giving, and the tradition of stockings spread through Europe. In the United States, stockings became a Christmas staple in the 19th century, thanks in part to Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which describes Santa filling stockings with toys. Over time, stockings evolved from practical socks to decorative, oversized versions made specifically for holiday gifts.^[2]

8 Christmas Trees: A Fusion of Pagan and Christian Traditions

The Christmas tree as we know it today has roots in pagan rituals that celebrated evergreen plants during the winter solstice. Ancient Romans used evergreen branches in their Saturnalia festivities, and Germans in the Middle Ages decorated fir trees in honor of the solstice as a symbol of hope and eternal life.

The Christian adaptation of the Christmas tree is often credited to 16th-century Germany. Legend has it that Protestant reformer Martin Luther was inspired by the sight of stars shining through the branches of a fir tree and brought one indoors, decorating it with candles. The tradition spread across Europe and was popularized in England by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the 19th century. When German immigrants brought the practice to America, it became an enduring symbol of the holiday season.^[3]

7 Eggnog: A Colonial Adaptation of a Medieval Drink

Eggnog’s origins date back to medieval Britain, where a drink called “posset” was made by curdling hot milk with ale or wine and adding spices. Wealthy families often included eggs and cream in their recipes, making posset a luxurious treat for special occasions. As the drink crossed the Atlantic with European settlers, it evolved into the eggnog we know today.

In colonial America, rum became the alcohol of choice for eggnog, as it was cheaper and more readily available than imported wine or brandy. The drink became especially popular during Christmas gatherings, where its richness symbolized abundance and celebration. Over time, eggnog became synonymous with holiday festivities, and its enduring popularity has even led to unique regional variations, such as Puerto Rico’s rum-and-coconut version, coquito.^[4]

6 Candy Canes: Religious Symbol or Sweet Marketing Ploy?

Candy canes are often said to represent religious symbolism, with the shape resembling a shepherd’s crook and the red and white stripes symbolizing Christ’s blood and purity. However, this interpretation is largely a modern invention. The earliest candy canes, created in 17th-century Germany, were plain white sticks of sugar candy given to children during nativity plays to keep them quiet.

The iconic red stripes and peppermint flavor were introduced in the 19th century, likely as a way to make the candy more visually appealing and marketable. By the early 20th century, candy canes became a staple of Christmas decorations and treats. Their enduring popularity owes as much to clever marketing as to their supposed religious connections.^[5]

5 Santa’s Sleigh: Borrowed from Norse Mythology

The image of Santa Claus flying through the night sky in a sleigh pulled by reindeer owes its origins to Norse mythology. In the pagan Yule tradition, Odin, the chief Norse god, was said to ride across the sky on an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir during the midwinter season. Children would leave offerings of food in their shoes for Sleipnir, and in return, Odin would reward them with gifts. This myth provided a foundation for the idea of a magical figure delivering presents, especially in regions where Norse traditions mingled with early Christian celebrations.

When Christianity spread across Northern Europe, Odin’s image merged with that of St. Nicholas, evolving into the figure of Santa Claus we know today. The sleigh and reindeer were later popularized in American culture through Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which introduced the concept of Santa’s eight reindeer. Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, entered the story much later in 1939 as part of a marketing campaign by Montgomery Ward. This fusion of ancient mythology and modern commercial storytelling created one of the most enduring and magical symbols of Christmas.^[6]

4 Gift Wrapping: A Japanese Tradition Turned Western Staple

Gift wrapping, often viewed as a quintessentially Western holiday custom, has its origins in ancient Asia. In Japan, wrapping gifts in furoshiki cloths dates back to the 8th century, when the practice was both practical and symbolic, protecting the gift while adding a personal touch. Similarly, in China, silk cloths were often used to wrap gifts during significant occasions, with elaborate designs symbolizing good fortune and respect. These traditions reflected the importance of presentation in gift-giving long before the advent of paper wrapping.

In the West, modern gift wrap owes its popularity to a happy accident in 1917. Joyce and Rollie Hall, founders of Hallmark, ran out of traditional tissue paper during the Christmas season. They improvised by selling sheets of decorative French envelope lining paper, which quickly sold out. Recognizing the potential, the Halls began producing their own colorful, sturdy wrapping paper.

By the mid-20th century, gift wrap had become a staple of holiday celebrations, with vibrant designs, ribbons, and bows turning the act of giving into a visual spectacle. Today, wrapping paper is a multi-billion-dollar industry, though eco-conscious alternatives like reusable cloths are reviving the ancient traditions it originally replaced.^[7]

3 Advent Calendars: From Religious Devotion to Chocolate Treats

Advent calendars began in 19th-century Germany as a way for families to count down the days until Christmas. Early versions were homemade, featuring candles, chalk marks, or devotional images to mark each passing day. By 1908, Gerhard Lang, a German printer, introduced the first commercially produced advent calendar, complete with small doors that opened to reveal Bible verses or festive illustrations. These early calendars emphasized religious reflection and anticipation during the Advent season.

The modern chocolate-filled advent calendar emerged in the mid-20th century as manufacturers sought to appeal to children. British and American companies like Cadbury began mass-producing calendars with tiny chocolates behind each door, making the tradition more about indulgence than spiritual preparation. Today, advent calendars have expanded beyond chocolate, offering everything from miniature toys to luxury beauty products. This evolution reflects how the tradition has shifted from its religious roots to a fun, highly commercialized part of the holiday season.^[8]

2 Christmas Cards: A Victorian Innovation

The Christmas card tradition began in 1843, thanks to Sir Henry Cole, a British civil servant who wanted an easier way to send holiday greetings. Cole commissioned the first commercial Christmas card, which featured a festive family scene and the message “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” These cards quickly caught on among the Victorian upper class as a fashionable way to convey holiday wishes without the need for lengthy handwritten letters.

The invention of affordable postage stamps, like the Penny Post in England, made sending cards accessible to a wider audience, and the trend soon spread across Europe and the United States. By the early 20th century, companies like Hallmark were mass-producing colorful and decorative Christmas cards, making them a staple of the holiday season. While email and social media have reduced the prevalence of traditional cards, they remain a cherished tradition for many, with millions still sent annually, often showcasing personal photographs or handmade designs.^[9]

1 The Yule Log: From Pagan Fire Ritual to Dessert

The Yule log tradition has roots in ancient Scandinavia, where it was a central feature of pagan midwinter celebrations. Families would select a massive log, decorate it with carvings or ribbons, and burn it in the hearth during the winter solstice to honor the Norse gods. The fire symbolized warmth, protection, and the return of the sun during the darkest days of the year. The ashes from the Yule log were often kept as charms to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits for the coming year.

When Christianity spread, the Yule log was incorporated into Christmas traditions, particularly in Northern Europe, as a symbol of light overcoming darkness. In the 19th century, French pastry chefs transformed the tradition into the bûche de Noël, a sponge cake rolled to resemble a log and decorated with frosting to mimic bark. This edible version of the Yule log became a popular Christmas dessert, blending ancient customs with modern holiday celebrations. Today, the Yule log exists both as a decorative symbol and a tasty treat, keeping its rich history alive in an entirely new form.^[10]

Holidays often have traditions, such as eating turkey for Thanksgiving, decorating with shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, and carving jack-o’lanterns for Halloween.

Christmas is another holiday with many traditions. Some, like enjoying candy canes, oohing and aahing at decorated Christmas trees, and telling a mall or other store-based Santa what is on one’s gift list, came about long before the 20th century began.

Other Christmas traditions, such as the ones listed below, started within the past 100 years. Read on to learn more about some of these newer traditions.

Related: 10 Holidays No One Celebrates

10 Watching Network Television Christmas Specials

The distinction of oldest Christmas special exclusively for television is neither Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer nor A Charlie Brown Christmas, which premiered in 1964 and 1965, respectively. Rather, it is Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, a cartoon that debuted in 1962. The special was based on Charles Dickens’s novel with a similar-sounding name that tells the story of a selfish, unsympathetic businessman named Ebenezer Scrooge until several ghostly visitors help him see the errors of his ways.

Among the actors who provided their voices to Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol was Jim Backus, who would go on to star in Gilligan’s Island the following year, and Morey Amsterdam, who simultaneously worked on The Dick Van Dyke Show while the Christmas special was in production.^[1]

9 Conducting Toys for Tots Drives

The tradition of a big box with a Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots logo to place donations like dolls, toy trucks, and similar items began in Los Angeles in 1947. That’s when a Marine Corps Reserve member was strongly encouraged to start an organization that would distribute the dolls his wife had made to financially disadvantaged children when no such existing organization could be found.

In the campaign’s first year, 5,000 toys were collected and distributed. Since then and through 2023, roughly 677 million toys, books, and games have been given to 301 million financially disadvantaged children.^[2]

8 Listening to Radio Stations’ Christmas Music Marathons

Around 1990, management at an adult contemporary radio station based in Phoenix with the call letters KEZ went against the advice of its consultants and researchers and began playing nonstop Christmas music upon the end of Thanksgiving. Contrary to those consultants’ and researchers’ beliefs, the format proved popular and since then, hundreds of radio stations have followed the same commercial-free Christmas music format, although the date these stations start airing the songs varies.

In 2024, Chicago radio station 93.9 FM began playing nonstop Christmas music on November 1, Cincinnati radio station 94.9 FM started doing so on November 18, and New York City’s 102.7 FM and Philadelphia’s B101 also began doing so around that date. The earliest non-satellite radio airing of Christmas music may have been Fort Wayne, Indiana’s 95.1 FM, which began playing all Christmas music in July amid the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020.^[3]

7 Wearing Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Wearing ugly Christmas sweaters—such as ones designed with excessive amounts of glitter or pompoms or of Santa doing something highly out of character—appears to have begun in the early 2000s. Less glitzy versions of the apparel were popular in the 1950s and 1980s.

The current creators of ugly Christmas sweaters include fast food chains and creameries. In recent years, some companies have hosted or will host Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties, and at least a few ugly Christmas sweater parties have supported or will support a nonprofit organization.^[4]

6 Shopping on Cyber Monday

In the early 2000s, the National Retail Federation discovered that online sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving were higher than the days leading up to it. Thus, it decided to come up with a catchy name for the day. After discarding ideas such as Blue Monday or Black Monday, Cyber Monday was created in 2005.

The federation attributed the increase in online sales on Cyber Monday to shoppers using (presumably faster) work computers to buy the items on their lists. Using a work computer also made it more likely the gift recipient would not know what they were getting.

In recent years, Cyber Monday sales have almost always increased from one year to the next. For instance, in 2019, such sales totaled $7.4 billion. By 2024, that amount had risen to $13.3 billion. Every year in between, sales had increased except in 2022, when sales dropped to $9.12 billion from $9.53 billion the year before.^[5]

5 Showings of A Christmas Story for 24 Hours Straight

The wheels for this tradition were set into motion when the 1983 movie first aired on TBS, TNT, and TCM in 1991. Those three channels aired the movie six times from the day before Christmas until the day after that holiday Christmas in 1995. The number of airings among those same three channels increased to eight in 1996.

Then, in 1997, the 24-hour marathon began, but only on TNT. In 2004, when that network changed the formatting of its programming to drama, TBS took over marathon hosting duties, but since 2014, both have aired the day-long movie marathon.

In 2020, 32 million people viewed the movie at some point during the marathon. When asked to comment on the movie’s popularity more than a decade after its release, director Bob Clark noted the movie’s approach to an extraordinary time of the year with compassion and candor, and star Peter Billingsley (who played Ralphie) noted how many of the movie’s fans tell him they see their own life story in the movie’s plot. Recently, other Christmas favored have also jumped on the 24-hour move marathon bandwagon, most notably Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.^[6]

4 Leaving Milk and Cookies for Santa

Families providing Santa Claus with milk and cookies in between dropping off presents in their homes began during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The hope was that by doing so, children would comprehend how important it was to give presents to others and also appreciate the presents they themselves had received.

One report indicates that Santa Claus likes all kinds of cookies, such as peanut butter, snickerdoodles, gingerbread, sugar, oatmeal raisin, and chocolate chip. There is no word on what type of milk—2%, oat, soy, etc.—he likes.

With so many food and drink options these days, it can be hard to determine how many calories Santa Claus consumes during his yearly gift-giving trip to people’s homes around the globe. One report’s conservative estimate of about several hundred calories per home concludes he would likely exceed recommended daily calorie allowances by several hundred thousand-fold, which is not something that can likely be worked off with all those trips up and down chimneys.^[7]

3 Watching Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular

The holiday-themed show that counts Vincente Minnelli among its creators premiered in the world’s largest indoor theater in 1933. The show still conducts the majority of its performances there and has, from its inception, included the dancing troupe known as the Rockettes and a nativity scene.

Over the years, the show has added modern features such as an LED light board and 3D effects. Annually, it uses about 1,200 costumes, some 30,000 red dots to give the Rockettes’ cheeks a rosy look, and slightly less than 14,100 batteries.^[8]

2 Paying Homage to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Santa Claus’s reindeer with a nose that appeared to glow was created in 1939 by Chicago-based department store catalog writer Robert L. May as part of a children’s book-writing assignment. May had toyed with naming his creation Rollo, Rodney, Roland, Roderick, or Reggy before settling on Rudolph.

Some of the emotions May experienced in his own life—such as isolation from bypassing a few grades in school, resulting in him being smaller and younger than his classmates, sadness from his wife’s fatal illness, and failure from his inability to become a successful novel writer—an be seen in Rudolph when the reindeer experiences feelings of isolation and glumness.^[9]

1 Reenacting Colonial Troops Delaware River Crossing

Each year for more than 70 years, hundreds of volunteers have gathered on Christmas Day along the Delaware River north of Philadelphia carrying weaponry and dressed in uniforms similar to those that George Washington’s army wore in 1776 when it launched a surprise attack on the Hessians during the Revolutionary War. Then, just as those troops did so that year, these volunteers cross the river into New Jersey.

The day’s events also include 1770s-themed activities and speeches that still occur even if the weather or river is not conducive to the river crossing reenactment. Spectators of the crossing and other events number in the thousands and come from around the United States and the world.^[10]

Most of us think of the holidays as a time to celebrate and be joyful. But it actually has become a tradition for controversies to pop up around Christmas. And this year is no different.

In 2018, we have seen a series of controversies spring up over Christmas ads, decorations, greetings, songs, and trees. Christmas trees are particularly controversial because they’re the de facto symbol of Christmas. However, they are not alone.

10 ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’

Frank Loesser’s 1944 song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which won an Oscar when featured in the 1949 film Neptune’s Daughter, has been causing controversies around Christmas for a long time. But it became more pronounced in 2007 due to the increased use of social media. Flash forward to 2018, and several radio stations across the US have banned the song over its lyrics, which they consider to be offensive.

The ban came after listeners called the radio stations to complain that the lyrics supported rape. The song tells the story of a lady who wants to leave a man’s house. She tells the man, “I really can’t stay.” But the man discourages her from leaving, saying, “Baby, it’s cold outside.”^[1]

Emily Crockett, who wrote about the controversy in 2016, mentioned that the lady in the movie really wanted to stay in the man’s house but felt compelled to leave because it could cause a scandal. Obviously, morality was a major issue in the ’40s and the practice of unmarried couples living together was frowned upon. However, Crockett agreed that the lady was being coerced into staying.

9 Holland Tunnel Controversy

This year, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey unwittingly caused a controversy when it added three Christmas wreaths to the “Holland Tunnel” entrance sign. Two decorations were circular, and the third had the triangular shape of a Christmas tree.

The first circular wreath was installed over the letter “O” in “Holland.” The second circular wreath was placed over the “U” in “Tunnel,” making it look like “Tonnel.” The Christmas tree was installed over the “N,” which just looked awkward. The Christmas tree and the second circular wreath were the sources of the controversy.

Obviously, the decoration would have looked much better if the Christmas tree wreath had been installed over the “A.” This made a lot of sense because the “A” already had the shape of a Christmas tree. The second circular wreath should have been dropped because it transformed “Tunnel” to “Tonnel.”

Cory Windelspecht was the first person to complain about the wreaths. He created a petition on Change.org where he complained that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was fond of putting the Christmas tree wreath over the “N” instead of the “A” every year. Cory said that this could cause problems for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.^[2]

The petition quickly gathered signatures, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey later put a poll on its website asking commuters what they wanted. After the poll, the organization agreed that it would remove the circular wreath on the “U” and move the Christmas tree wreath from the “N” to the “A.”

8 There Is A Rang-tan In My Bedroom

In 2018, UK supermarket chain Iceland Foods planned to release an animated video ad for Christmas. The ad was about a young orangutan that runs amok inside a young girl’s bedroom. The orangutan, which is called “Rang-tan,” hops across the girl’s bedroom, throwing things around and hanging from furniture.

The girl narrates that she does not know what to do about the orangutan in her bedroom. She later orders Rang-tan out. However, just before the animal leaves, the girl asks Rang-tan why she (the orangutan) was in the bedroom. The camera zooms in on Rang-tan’s eyes, and we see the true story.

There are humans in her forest, and Rang-tan doesn’t know what to do. They have destroyed her home and turned it into palm oil plantations. They have killed Rang-tan’s mother, and she is afraid that they will kill her, too. The entire ad is about the massive deforestation in palm oil–producing countries.

Iceland Foods was going to air the ad in the UK until it was banned by Clearcast, the UK advertisement regulation agency. Clearcast claimed that the ad was a political advertisement that violated rules enacted in 2003. Apparently, the ad was originally created for environmentalist group Greenpeace, which had earlier used it for its anti-deforestation campaign.

If anything, the ban popularized the ad. People watched it on the Internet anyway. It also put workers at Clearcast in danger. Clearcast received over 3,500 emails and hundred of phone calls at the time of the ban. Many of the calls and emails were threats. Some were so severe that Clearcast removed the pictures of its workers from its website and closed down its Facebook page.^[3]

7 Starbucks Christmas Cup

For years, Starbucks has had a tradition of creating specially designed cups for Christmas. The first cup was introduced in 1997, and they were controversy-free until 2015. Since then, each Christmas cup has caused its fair share of controversy, which seems to heat up every year.

Unlike those in previous years, the highly contentious 2015 cup was devoid of all designs. Joshua Feuerstein started the debate when he made a video claiming that the plain red color was an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. He suggested that each customer tell Starbucks’ employees that the customer’s name was “Merry Christmas” so that the workers would call out “Merry Christmas” whenever they made a drink.

The 2016 cup was a green-and-white one that was accused of being anti-Christmas. In 2017, it was a white-and-red cup that was said to be pro-gay. In 2018, Starbucks introduced five cups, including one that was supposed to be reusable and free. But customers were forced to shell out $2.50 for it because the free supplies were exhausted quickly (as in minutes).^[4]

6 Minneapolis Christmas Tree Controversy

In 2018, officers at the Minneapolis Police Department decided to decorate one of their stations for Christmas. They installed a Christmas tree, and all appeared well until a picture of the tree was posted on the Internet. The department was hit with complaints that the Christmas tree was racist.

Apparently, the police department had replaced the ornaments, stars, and lights that were supposed to be on the tree with cigarettes, crime tape, malt liquor, and a cup from a restaurant that served fried chicken. Two officers involved in putting up the tree were suspended, while the commander of the station, Inspector Aaron Biard, was removed from his position.^[5]

5 Rome Christmas Tree Controversy

In 2017, Rome became the center of a controversy over its threadbare Christmas tree. In 2018, the city had the same problem. The Christmas trees installed in both years are more like sticks than trees. The majority of the branches in the middle are missing, and the few remaining branches have sparse greenery, just like the rest of the tree.

In 2017, concerned citizens called the threadbare tree “Spelacchio” (“Mangy”). In 2018, they called it “Spelacchio #2.” The business handling the installation and design of the tree claimed that they deliberately cut the branches to make transportation safer. They added that the branches and greenery will grow before Christmas, but some citizens are having none of it.^[6]

4 Deitrick Haddon’s Sexually Explicit Christmas Song

In November 2018, US gospel singer and pastor Deitrick Haddon revealed that he was planning to release a sexually explicit song for Christmas. The song is about a man telling his wife that he wants to make love to her on Christmas Day. He mentions wanting to eat her “milk and cookies” and lie in her “Garden of Eden.”

The Internet went haywire after the revelation. Many believe that a gospel musician should not release a sexually explicit song, especially for Christmas.

However, opinions are divided.

On one side are the critics who say that the song promotes lust and is contrary to what Jesus stands for. On the other side are those who say that the song can be used by Christian couples just before they get between the sheets. Haddon has already said that his song is targeted at married couples.^[7]

3 Bethel Atheist Banner Controversy

Every Christmas, some controversy pops up over the use of “Happy Holidays” and “Happy Holiday Season” instead of “Merry Christmas.”

Non-Christians will usually say “Happy Holidays.” Some Christians also prefer “Happy Holidays” so that they will not be biased toward people who do not celebrate Christmas. However, some Christians consider “Happy Holidays” to be offensive. They believe that it is an attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. For them, it is “Merry Christmas” or nothing.

“Happy Holidays” wasn’t always controversial. In fact, the word “holiday” has its roots in Christianity. It is from “holy day,” which refers to a day that is considered holy. Christians have been using “Happy Holidays” in place of “Merry Christmas” for years. But it just happens to get a bad rap these days.

In 2018, the town of Bethel, Connecticut, found itself in one such controversy when atheists in the town put up a banner with the words:

To our Bethel community,
Happy Holiday Season! (whatever you celebrate)
From your friendly atheist neighbors.

Some Christian residents considered the banner an unfriendly gesture and a disguised attack on Christians and Christianity. They say that the atheists who put up the banner could have just kept their greetings to themselves. However, other Christians think that the banner makes non-Christians share in the fun of Christmas.^[8]

2 Highlands Christmas Tree Controversy

Another Christmas tree controversy. This time, it is from Highlands, North Carolina. Like many American towns, Highlands engages in the tradition of putting up Christmas trees. In 2017, the town installed a tree with a star on top. However, the star broke off because the tree could not support its weight.

In 2018, the town put up a Christmas tree without the star. Initially, workers placed a cross on the top of the tree. But they were ordered to remove it because it was illegal. At that point, the tree became controversial. Townspeople complained because they wanted the cross back. After a series of protests, the mayor ordered the cross returned.^[9]

1 White House Christmas Tree

The White House has a tradition of putting up Christmas decorations every year. The First Lady is usually in charge of choosing what type of Christmas tree and decorations go in the White House. In 2018, Melania Trump settled for plain bloodred Christmas trees.

However, some Americans do not agree with her choice of color. The trees have been heavily criticized and are attracting all sorts of negative attention. But Mrs. Trump does not care. She said that the trees are “beautiful,” “fantastic,” and look better when seen up close. She suggested that the critics visit the White House to see the trees firsthand.^[10]

Secret groups, police operations and high-tech tests are not normally associated with Christmas cards. Yet these and other facts give this holiday tradition its quirky side. The cards also have enemies among health experts and astronomers while historians use them to bookmark events, like the JFK assassination. Then there are the people who should really stop taking family photos for their Christmas cards.

See Also: 10 True-To-Life Christmas Miracles

10 The Moon Is Nearly Always Wrong

We can always count on eagle-eyed experts to point things out. In this case, astronomers gazed at the Moon. Not the one in the sky. Nope. They turned away from their telescopes and examined a few Christmas cards up close. They did not have to look far to find cartoon Moons. Plenty of the images showed night scenes. For good measure, they studied Christmas-themed books and wrapping paper. The study found that the lunar phases and positions were often wrong.

The whole thing started when an astronomer called Peter Barthel noticed the impossible Moons on a 2010 Unicef Christmas card and a popular Advent e-calendar. The card showed kids decorating a tree and the calendar depicted people caroling. Both scenes showed a waning crescent Moon. The latter rises at three in the morning, an unlikely time for singing to your neighbors or letting children arrange tinsel.

Barthel focused on imagery from the United States and the Netherlands. These two countries heavily shaped today’s view of what Christmas looked like – and up to 65 percent of their Moons were incorrect. As innocent as these mistakes seem, Barthel feels that artists need to pull up their socks, honor science and show the right phases.

9 The First Card

Printed Christmas cards are a mere 176 years old. The first one was issued in 1843 and colored in by hand. Sold for a shilling, it triggered a global industry that still exists today. Only 1,000 was printed that first year and 21 survived.

The designer was Henry Cole and the illustration was done by John Callcott Horsley. The image shows a jolly family drinking wine around a table, captioned with the words “A merry Christmas and a happy new year to you.” Cole’s original proof is in a private collection today and one of the cards, recently loaned to the Charles Dickens Museum in London, showed it had originally been bought and send to a married couple by their son.

The year 1843 was an important time that shaped Christmas. Not only did the card phenomenon start but Charles Dickens also published his iconic book; A Christmas Carol. The story was adapted into countless TV specials and movies as December fodder for viewers. The novel and first card appearing at the same time was a coincidence. Neither Cole nor Dickens was aware that they were about to change Christmas forever.

8 The JFK Cards

During November 1963, the Presidential couple John and Jacqueline Kennedy was full of holiday plans. They were going to spend Thanksgiving at his family in Massachusetts, then enjoy Christmas in Palm Beach. But first, they had to campaign through five cities, unaware that JFK would be assassinated in Dallas.

Before they left, the Kennedys received their annual Christmas cards. The pack was custom printed by Hallmark. The cover showed a photograph of the 18th-century Neapolitan creche from the White House’s East Room. Inside was an embossed seal and best wishes for Christmas and the new year. As always, the plan was to mail them to their friends and acquaintances. They signed around 75 cards and decided to leave the rest until they returned from touring Texas.

Due to JKF’s assassination, the cards were never sent. Today, these presidential momentoes are considered rare and one of them can be viewed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

7 The Terrifying Fiore Family

To be fair, the Fiore family is quite safe to be around. Given that you do not startle them when they have guns. The moment they took their 2015 Christmas card photo was definitely not a good moment to argue with them. Four generations posed with an arsenal that would make Santa think twice about a midnight visit.

At the center stood Michele Fiore, a Nevada Republican assemblywoman. In front of her, a real Walther p22 completed the costume of Jake, her 5-year-old grandson. Fiore’s mother stood next to her and the elderly woman looked somewhat tense holding her Extar EXP556. Other family members held their own firearms or had weapons strapped to their bodies.

The card caused a sensation. Unfortunately for the Las Vegas Republican, the attention was not positive. Fiore was unbothered. In response, she told Fox News that giving and receiving firearms as Christmas gifts was a perfectly reasonable thing to do. This is perhaps not surprising, considering her previous threats to shoot Syrian refugees in the head and her desire to see guns being carried by campus students.

6 A Unique Fossil Swap

When fossil researchers exchange Christmas cards, you can expect things to get weird. Indeed, for decades, two colleagues send each other December wishes using tiny marine creatures. Edward Heron-Allen and Arthur Earland were two volunteers at the Natural History Museum in London.

During the early 20th century, they cataloged and described ancient Foraminifera fossils. Their work on the single-celled organisms made them famous among modern scientists. Their collection of microscope slides, depicting hundreds of species, remains valuable. But it was their habit of using excess Foraminifera fossils to craft Christmas slides to each other that made their story so intriguing. Indeed, their fossil-studded “cards” are unique.

For over 25 years, Earland and Heron-Allen spread mutual cheer with their slides. But Heron-Allen was a lawyer and scholar, and highly honored for his work with Foraminifera. While Earland’s work was just as good, he was not offered the same accolades and promotions. To most, he was nothing more than his day job – a Post Office worker. Things soured and interestingly, the downward spiral of their friendship can be seen in the slides. Each year, the fossil cards became less elaborate and plainer until they stopped.

5 They Will Survive The Digital Age

One can be forgiven for believing that the Christmas card is doomed. After all, there are thousands of free digital cards that can be sent at the push of a button. Who still bothers with putting a card in an envelope, licking the flap, slapping on stamps and mailing it like a caveman? A lot of people, apparently.

The trend evolved in an interesting way. Cheap card sales are dwindling but not the expensive sort. That’s right, Christmas cards will survive the digital competition by becoming an elite item. A 2016 survey showed that 105 million cards were sold, each bought as a single upmarket gift that totaled £184 million in the United Kingdom alone.

More people love sending or receiving custom-made cards. Artists sell their unique handmade pieces online or through retail stores. The price can go as high as £18.95. The steep tag only ads to the tradition’s new value as a vogue gift and something that remains very personal. As stunning as digital cards are, none come with an actual ink-on-paper handwritten message.

4 Santa’s Image Upsets Health Experts

In 2009, the inevitable happened. Health experts gave Santa Clause’s jolly disposition one look and decided the man was no role model for kids. One particularly vocal physician was Dr. Nathan Grills from Australia. While his views were logical, his suggestions were a little weird.

Grills accused Santa of gleefully promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. The iconic figure was obese and had no problem speeding with his vehicle. Since many cards depict him with a pipe, Grills also said that Santa was basically a free tobacco ad. Worse, Santa is a drunken driver. According to literature and tradition, people leave him brandy as a gift. Billions of houses equal billions of brandies. Santa’s blood alcohol level would set a breathalyzer on fire.

By Grill’s estimation, this careless theme boosts the reckless behavior of people over the holiday season. He claimed the opposite was possible, that Santa has the power to change countless lives for the better. Indeed, a study showed that millions of children take the red-clad figure very seriously. But Grill’s suggestion for Santa’s new image might never catch on. According to him, Santa should be depicted as a slim man on a treadmill.

3 Police Warn Shoplifters With Cards

Most people who mail Christmas envelopes keep an address book. Inside, they dutifully note the friends and family who will receive a card. The police department in Northern Ireland also has an address book with a list. However, their festive-themed cards have a very different purpose.

Criminals love Christmas. Shoplifters, in particular, are dazzled by the festive offers. Unsurprisingly there is a marked uptick in-store thefts during this time. The Irish police decided to try an unusual tactic. In 2016, Operation Nutmeg swung into action. At the core, the project aimed to deter people from hiding stuff in their long coats and walking out without paying.

The names and addresses belonged to known offenders. The most prolific pinchers were sent a Christmas card but instead of seasonal wishes, they were warned that the police would be watching them.

2 A Microscopic Holiday Message

Combine 200 of the world’s smallest Christmas cards and they will cover the area of a postage stamp. As the brainchild of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the United Kingdom, the card is measured in microns. Just to underline how small that is – a micron is a millionth of a meter. Created in 2017, the card was 15 microns (0.015 millimeters) wide and 20 microns (0.02 mm) tall, making it thinner than a human hair.

The card can only be seen under a microscope. It shows a happy snowman and the words “Season’s Greetings.” Incredibly, the minuscule message can be opened. Inside are the words “From NPL.” To make the card, researchers selected a membrane of silicon nitride and coated it with an excruciatingly thin layer of platinum. An ion beam, using fast-moving particles, engraved the message and design.

The exercise was not a whimsical waste of laboratory hours. The materials and tools used to create the card was a test run to refine technologies at the micron-scale. Successful miniaturization always improves the fields of electronics and medicine. In this case, it broke a world record and brought the delicate technology a step closer to mainstream use.

1The Only Photo Of A Secret Meeting

In 1938, a group arrived at a manor house in England. To the casual observer, the 150 men and women descended upon Bletchley Park for a weekend party. But the light-heartedness and mingling was a cover. In reality, the guests were codebreakers from M16 and the Government Code and Cypher School.

The gathering was a crucial operation to crack Italian naval codes. Their work before and during World War II was so important that historians believe the so-called “Captain Ridley’s shooting party,” might have shortened the war by two years. Due to the secret nature of their work, the codebreakers were never publically put on a pedestal.

No photographs of the meeting existed until a Christmas card surfaced. In recent years, the daughter of a female codebreaker found the card between her mother’s belongings. It was a simple affair. The blue paper was nondescript with a photo on the cover showing people on Bletchley Park’s front lawn. It’s cliché message ran “Wishing you a very happy Christmas & New Year.”

Experts believe it was mundane on purpose. Not wanting to attract attention to a secret group, the person who send the card was Lady Evelyn Sinclair, the sister of the chief of M16. She addressed it to codebreaker Joan Wingfield as a subtle but heartfelt thanks for the team’s work.

A variety of traditions have developed over the centuries since Christmas was first celebrated. Although many are familiar, a few relatively new ones have appeared, and some of the older, more conventional ones have been given twists that make them fresh and, often, surprising. The 10 twists to Christmas traditions new and old on this list are certainly unusual and intriguing.

See Also: 10 Strange Christmas Traditions From The Victorian Era

10 Electric (Eel) Christmas Lights

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, Miguel Wattson doesn’t sing for his supper. Not exactly. Instead, he generates electricity that illuminates the lights on the Christmas tree outside his tank at the Tennessee Aquarium.

The eel generates electricity when he’s searching for food. The low-voltage charges are transferred to the lights, which blink and flash. When he’s eating or otherwise excited, Miguel generates higher voltage, causing the lights to flash brighter and longer.

Kevin Liska, the director of Tennessee Tech University’s iCube center, which contributed the coding for the system that translates Miguel’s shocks into “a voice” that lets the eel shout “SHAZAM!” and “ka-BLAMEROO!,” explained that “electrical engineering” and “emerging business communication” were combined to produce these effects.

Using similar equipment, Miguel also tweets (mostly “sound effects”) to his nearly 41,000 Twitter followers. With a little help from his human friends, he also responds to his followers’ comments. His Twitter page shows just how much he enjoys puns, such as “r-eel-y cool” and “I’m eel-ated.”

9 Edison Christmas Lights

An early advertisement for “Christmas Lighting,” courtesy of Edison Miniature Lamps, touted the lights as safe, clean, and odor-free. They represented “no danger, smoke or smell.” The lamps could be rented or purchased, but they did have one limitation: they could “be used only in houses having electric lights.”

The lamps were invented by Thomas Edison himself. The first strand was exhibited in 1882, on an “indoor tree” in the New York City home of Edward Johnson, Edison Electric Company’s vice-president, and consisted of eighty “red, white, and blue electric colored bulbs.”

8 Metallic (and Plastic) Tinsel

Tinsel has been around since 1610. First used to decorate Christmas trees in Germany, the decorative strips were originally made of silver strands, which reflected the flames of the candles, the trees’ only light source at the time. Admirers of this new decoration regarded the tinsel as suggestive of the Nativity’s star-studded sky.

However, since silver soon tarnishes, it was replaced by other lustrous metals, including, at the beginning of the twentieth century, aluminum, and, later, lead foil, neither of which tarnish and both of which are cheaper than silver.

In 1972, when exposure to lead became a health concern, tinsel manufacturers and importers agreed to stop making and supplying lead tinsel. Since then, tinsel has been made of “plastic film coated with a metallic finish or . . . Mylar film . . . cut into thin strips.”

7 Rockefeller Christmas Tree Topper

Topping off the huge 2018 Christmas tree in New York City’s Rockefeller Center was a gargantuan task, but BorgDesign Inc. was up to the challenge. The company makes custom parts and machines, including “everything from medical equipment to radars,” for its clients.

Although Orion RED, architect Daniel Libeskind, and Swarovski, a European glass manufacturer, collaborated in creating the star, BorgDesign constructed its “core.” The project took roughly seven months, or between 500 and 1,000 hours. “We started working on it, I want to say, in April,” Andrew Borg, the company’s president, explained. “We delivered most of the parts in early October, and we delivered the lifting mechanism right at the end of October.”

The lifting mechanism had a big job to do: the star measured nine feet, four inches in height, bore seventy modules composed mostly of LED lights, and featured three million Swarovski crystals, which supplied the topper’s “distinct holiday twinkle.”

6 Inverted Christmas Tree

To stand out, something needs to be as different as an upside-down Christmas tree. Judging by Instagram, such trees were all the rage in 2017, in both shopping malls and family homes across the United States. After setting the tree in place in a modified stand or suspending the base of the tree from the ceiling, with its tip pointing down, employees or family members decorated the fir or pine, hanging ornaments from its inverted branches and piling presents under the treetop.

Inverted Christmas trees didn’t first become popular a couple of years ago, though. Holiday trees were first turned upside-down during the Middle Ages to symbolize the Trinity and the crucifixion of Christ.

5Head Ornament

Thanks to 3-D printers, your head, or anyone else’s, can become a Christmas tree ornament. Among more traditional decorations, such as balls and bells, angels and snowmen, and ribbons and bows, your own head, perhaps wearing a red stocking cap with a white pompom, can hang by a ribbon or a hook from a branch of your Christmas tree, facial hair and face (but not blood) included.

Sony Xperia came up with this rather eerie idea, using it in a 2017 promotion called Bauble Me. Sony employees showed off the printing process and its final product at “pop-up events” in the United Kingdom, during which, each day, the faces of a hundred shoppers with Xperia smartphones could be “scanned and made into a Christmas ornament,” free of charge.

4 La Befana

Since the eighth century, Italian tradition has included a witch by the name of La Befana. Following the star to Bethlehem, the Magi spent a night in the witch’s home. In the morning, having enjoyed her hospitality, the Wise men invited her to join them on their journey, but she declined, saying she had to stay home to clean house.

After their departure, though, she changed her mind and set out on her own, a basket of gifts for the baby Jesus in hand, and followed the star the Wise Men had mentioned. On January 6, the Day of the Epiphany, the Magi found the site they sought, but Le Befana was unable to do so.

Ever since, on the Eve of the Epiphany, she sets forth again, seeking the child in every house she passes and offering treats to good children and lumps of coal to naughty ones. Some of the incidents of her story appear, altered, in the story of Santa’s travels on Christmas Eve.

3 Chimney Entrances

There’s a reason that, when Santa opts to gain unlawful entry into millions of homes on Christmas Eve, he enters by way of the chimneys. Washington Irving, the early American storyteller who gave us the Headless Horseman, among other things, is responsible for the modern portrayal of Santa, describing Saint Nicholas in his 1809 book Knickerbocker’s History of New York, as a man “riding jollily among the tree tops, or over the roofs of the houses, now and then drawing forth magnificent presents from his breeches pockets, and dropping them down the chimneys of his favorites.”

His use of chimneys is derived from the belief, during the Middle Ages, that witches made their way into houses through chimneys and windows. Consequently, chimneys, in particular, became known as portals between the earthly and the otherworldly realms and were used by such magical beings as Scottish brownies, Irish bodachs, and the Italian Le Befana, a witch who rode a broomstick to deliver goodies to good children. In his description of St. Nicholas, Irving drew on this long tradition, having his character also make use of houses’ chimneys, and, in 1882, Clement C. Moore further popularized the notion that Santa entered homes through chimneys in his poem “The Night Before Christmas.”

2 NORAD Tracks Santa Program

In the United States, even the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has gotten into the spirit of the Christmas holiday.

On Christmas Eve, 1955, a child called Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup at the forerunner to NORAD, then known as the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center (CADCOC) in Colorado, to inquire into Santa’s “whereabouts.” Thanks to a misprint, the youngster had found the telephone number in a local newspaper. The colonel assured the youth that CADCOC would protect Santa. Calls from other children kept coming all night, as Shoup’s operator updated Santa’s current location.

When it was organized in 1958, NORAD inherited the tradition that developed from these calls. A massive undertaking, tracking Santa begins in November and involves seventy “government and nongovernment contributors” and over 1,500 volunteers who field callers’ questions. In 2019, the NORAD Tracks Santa program “received 126,103 calls and answered 2,030 emails, and OnStar received 7,477 requests to locate Santa.”

1Letter Adoption

The United States Postal Service (USPS) receives hundreds of thousands of letters that children have addressed to Santa. As a response to these letters, the USPS started Operation Santa. Now in its 107th year, the operation includes fifteen cities.

To protect letter writers’ privacy, their last names and all other “personal information,” including their addresses and other “points of contact,” are redacted, and gifts are matched to their intended recipients by a code. Only letters addressed to Santa Claus, 123 Elf Road, North Pole 88888 are processed through Operation Santa; others addressed to Santa go through regular channels for improperly or incompletely addressed correspondence.

Rather than destroying the letters, the Postal Service asks for volunteers who are willing to adopt a letter. Participants pore over the letters, each volunteer selecting one to adopt. Then, acting anonymously, each participant buys at least one of the requested items on the child’s list, packages it, and mails it to the child he or she has selected.

Letters are also posted on the USPS website. By registering, volunteers receive children’s letters to Santa, which the USPS redirects to them, and they then buy the children gifts, mailing them to the recipients by December 20.

About The Author: Gary L. Pullman, the author of the Western trilogy An Adventure of the Old West, featuring bounty hunter (and then sheriff) Bane Messenger, is available on Amazon. Gary lives in southern Nevada, near Area 51, which, according to his friends, “explains a lot.”

Spiders, cemeteries, costumes, and ghost stories sound like a part of Halloween, not Christmas, but think again. The following Christmas traditions and beliefs sound like they got their holidays mixed up.

10Carved Vegetables
Mexico

For all of us who hated vegetables growing up, the Night of the Radishes may sound like the title of a horror movie. Nevertheless, it’s a longstanding traditional celebration in Mexico, going back to the main plaza of Oaxaca City in 1897. It’s been going strong ever since.

There are parades, feasts, and dances. But the main event, as the name suggests, are the radishes. The radishes are carved into amazing characters, scenes, and displays. They’re grown specifically for this occasion. Instead of being picked at their usual harvest time, they’re left in the ground to balloon to huge sizes. They have been known to grow as long as 50 centimeters (20 in) and weigh as much as 3 kilograms (6.5 lb).

December 23 is the official day on which the Night of the Radishes takes place. However, as with any good party, the celebration has often been known to last a couple days, up to and past December 25.

9Goblins
Greece

According to Greek folklore, underground goblins known as Kallikantzaroi make their way to the surface world to do mischief during the 12 days of Christmas. Most legends agree that they are hairy black creatures that look mostly human but with horns and tails.

To keep Kallikantzaroi away, some Greeks would burn incense or even burn stinky shoes in the fireplace. Others would mark their door with a black cross on Christmas Eve.

The worst part of the legend is that all babies born on one of the 12 days of Christmas are at risk of turning into Kallikantzaroi at a later Christmas when they become adults. Someone could be a Kallikantzaros and wouldn’t even know it until their 18th or 21st birthday. The only way to prevent it from happening is to singe the baby’s toenails or wrap them in garlic and straw.

8Spiders
Poland

If you never seem to get around to taking down your spiderweb Halloween decorations before Christmas, Poland may just be the country for you. In Polish culture, spiders symbolize prosperity and goodness in general. In one Polish legend, when baby Jesus was born, He was cold, and a spider wove a blanket for Him out of webs. As a result, Christmas trees are often decorated with fake spiderwebs and spider ornaments in Poland.

This tradition is also found in Germany and Ukraine, where it is inspired by a different legend. In a Ukrainian legend, a poor mother couldn’t afford Christmas tree decorations. However, her children woke up the next morning to find their tree covered in spiderwebs. That may not have been the most festive sight, but when the first rays of sunlight hit the tree, the webs turned into silver and gold. The family never found themselves in need again.

7Eating Bugs
South Africa

Speaking of creepy-crawlies, gummy worms and bug-shaped candy may be all the rage during Halloween, but at Christmastime, only the real thing will do. In certain regions of South Africa, no traditional Christmas feast would be complete without a nice big helping of deep-fried emperor moth caterpillars. Most caterpillars are seen as a delicacy, so it makes sense that families would consider them a treat at Christmas.

Caterpillars are actually quite nutritious. The proportion of protein is higher than found in fish and beef. A little more than half of every 100 grams of caterpillars is protein, and 17 percent is carbohydrates, with an energy value of 430 kilocalories. The exact amount varies by species, but caterpillars have been known to be good sources of iron, calcium, potassium, and several different vitamins.

6Witches
Bavaria

According to Austrian and Bavarian lore, a witch named Berchta knows which children have been lazy or hardworking throughout the year. She roams through the land and secretly enters homes during the 12 days of Christmas and the Epiphany to punish or reward the children. For those who have done all of their work, she leaves a silver coin in their shoe. For those who have been lazy, she cuts their stomachs open. And, as if that wasn’t enough, she removes their guts and replaces them with straw, stones, and any garbage lying around.

Berchta’s name is derived from the feast of the Epiphany, known as Berchtentag. In Slovenia, she is also known as Frau Faste, which translates to “the lady of the Ember Days.” Berchta’s traditional Feast Day is called Berchtaslaaf in Urglawee, the culture of Germans and Dutch in Pennsylvania. It takes place on December 31, which is Elfder Dagg and Zwelfdi Nacht (“The Eleventh Day” and “The Twelfth Night”).

5Monster Cannibals
Iceland

The folklore of Iceland includes an ogress named Gryla. Like Santa Claus and the aforementioned Berchta, Gryla had the supernatural power to know whether children have been naughty or nice throughout the year. Unlike Santa Claus and even Berchta, however, she does not bother with rewarding children who have been good. Her only concern is punishing the naughty.

Around Christmastime, she makes her way from her mountain lair and hunts through nearby villages for a good meal. Her favorite food is a stew of naughty boys and girls who disobey their parents. It’s said that she has a tremendous appetite and sadly never goes hungry.

Gryla wasn’t always a Christmas figure, but in the 17th century she was linked to the Yule Cat and the Yule Lads, being declared as their mother.

4Ghost Stories
England

Not too long ago, creepy ghost stories were a major part of Christmas Eve festivities. Even Andy Williams’s classic yuletide tune “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” promises “There’ll be scary ghost stories / And tales of the glories / Of Christmases long, long ago.”

In Victorian England, Christmas and ghosts were as much a package deal as tea and crumpets. Perhaps the greatest example of this is Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. It’s no coincidence that the plot of Dickens’s tale of the true spirit of Christmas is driven by four otherworldly spirits. In centuries past, Christmas had always had a strong connection to the supernatural. It was believed that the barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead was at its thinnest on Christmas Eve. This allowed ghosts to sneak back over to the living world for at least one night.

3Costumes
Newfoundland

Newfoundland has a tradition that’s an interesting blend of trick or treating and Christmas caroling.

People known as mummers or janneys disguise themselves in homemade costumes and make their way through the neighborhood, going from house to house. They knock on doors, play music, and dance on the front steps of homes, while the owners try to guess who the mummers are under their costumes. To do this, homeowners are allowed to ask the visitors questions.

To disguise themselves even more, however, mummers alter their voices. The most common technique is ingestive speaking, in which they talk while taking a deep breath. The janneys must take off their masks once their identity is guessed, and the homeowners tend to invite them in for food and drinks.

In the old days, mummering was much more sociable since nearly everyone knew one another in small towns. In the modern day, the practice is more reserved, as people are less comfortable with opening their doors or homes to masked strangers. Mummers sometimes call ahead to tell their friends that they are coming to their house so as not to be turned away.

2Cemeteries
Finland

In Finland, people visit the graves of their loved ones on Christmas Eve and leave lit candles in their honor. Those whose relatives are not buried nearby still visit the nearest cemetery and light a candle to acknowledge their memory. As a result, all of the cemeteries in Finland are alight with dozens upon dozens of candles on Christmas Eve.

Even people who haven’t lost any loved ones often stroll through the graveyards just to enjoy the festive scenery. So many people come out to visit the cemeteries that the government has to put special traffic procedures in action to deal with all of the cars on the roads.

Other countries remember the dead at Christmas as well. Portugal has a traditional feast on Christmas morning called Consoda. It is both a morning feast and a mourning feast. Those who have died are honored, and the families put out settings at the table for the family members they’ve lost.

1The Devil
Guatemala

We’d think that any mention of the devil would have no place during the holiday season. Guatemala, however, has a celebration on December 7 called La Quema del Diablo, or The Burning of the Devil.

Citizens clean their homes and pile up all of their trash, old clothes, and broken furniture in front of their houses. Next, they each make an effigy of the devil and put it on top of the pile. Then they do what the name of the celebration suggests and burn the entire pile. This symbolically chases away the devil and prepares for baby Jesus. It is also thought to purify the home and give people a release from year-long problems.

In recent years, many people now burn small pinatas and old bills instead of garbage inside their homes. Also, many companies have capitalized on the celebration by selling devil effigies. No matter what, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without commercialization.

Today, many of us associate December with traditions and festivities that seem like an integral part of Christmas. However, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, before the Victorian era, Christmas was only ever really minimally celebrated in Britain and in other English-speaking countries. It wasn’t until the reign of Queen Victoria and her German husband, King Albert, that Christmas became the truly festive celebration we recognize today. Thus, it is thanks to the Victorian era that most of our beloved Christmas traditions, such as Christmas cards, gifts, and Boxing Day, are popular.

However, the Victorian era was also responsible for a few slightly odder traditions. Most of them, unfortunately (or in some cases fortunately), did not survive into today. To remember the most interesting of those that did not make the cut, we have compiled a list of the most unusual Christmas customs of yesteryear that are sure to put you in a festive spirit.

10Creepy Christmas Cards

The Victorian era is responsible for the creation of the very first Christmas card, which was designed by John Callcott Horsley, an English painter, on the request of his wealthy friend, Sir Henry Cole. Cole initially came up with the idea for a Christmas card after he realized that he was much too busy to write an individual Christmas greeting to every person among his family, friends, and colleagues. Cole was sure that a card with a festive image and a greeting would be a far quicker way to send his holiday wishes to everyone.

After its initial success among Cole’s friends, 1,000 of these new Christmas cards were printed and put for sale in 1843. However, the Christmas card was not successful at first and was even disapproved by the temperance movement, which feared that the presence of booze in several of the original card designs would encourage drunkenness.

Nevertheless, a year later, Christmas cards became wildly popular, and soon their design varied enormously thanks to the various painters that had different visions for the ideal Christmas card. Like Victorian valentines, some of these new Christmas card designs featured cherubs, flowers, and other symbols of spring and new life. Others, however, were far creepier and included strange images such as sinister clowns poking policemen with red pokers, giant killer wasps chasing children, and gambling monkeys.

9Glass Pickle

A glass pickle ornament was often hidden inside the Victorian Christmas tree for good luck. On Christmas day, the founder of the glass pickle was either given a special gift or allowed to open their present first.

It is said that the tradition of the glass pickle originated from a medieval story of two Spanish boys traveling home for Christmas. On their way home, tired and weary from traveling, the children stopped at an inn for a good night’s sleep. However, the innkeeper was an evil man—he stole the boys’ possessions and stuffed them into a pickle barrel. Luckily for the boys, St. Nicholas stopped by the inn and saved them. The boys then thanked St. Nicholas for saving their lives and continued on to their family.

There exists a second version of the story, which differs slightly from the first. In this version, three Spanish boys are kidnapped by an evil shopkeeper who chops them up with an axe and pickles them in a barrel. Upon hearing about the poor boys’ faith, St. Nicholas prays to God, and because of the purity of his faith, he succeeds in restoring the lives and bodies of the boys.

8Wassail Punch

Wassail punch was a popular winter drink made from a mixture of fruit, cider, and spices. Victorians served it to carolers who went from house to house wassailing or singing Christmas carols and hymns. After all the carols were sung, the carolers were invited to the houses of Victorian families to share a sip of wassail from the communal wassail bowl. This tradition of inviting carolers for a sip of wassail was borrowed from the Elizabethan era.

The recipes for Wassail punch varied from family to family, but it was important that the punch be hot. Families with old-fashioned taste based their wassail punch on ale or cider, which was heated until it became thick and foamy. Often, the foam that formed on top of the ale or cider was called “lamb’s wool.” Fresh nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, lemon slices, and roasted crab apples were frequently added to enhance the flavor of the punch.

7Festive Science

During the Victorian era, the celebration of scientific progress became almost synonymous with the word Christmas. Christmas books often contained experiments for children, news magazines published scientific Christmas stories, and poems and newspapers advertised scientific Christmas gifts and scientific leisure activities.

In the 1830s, two galleries of practical science, The Adelaide Gallery and The Royal Polytechnic Institution, opened their doors to the public. The Adelaide Gallery held various Christmas performances, including festive oratorios that often featured projections of microscopic organisms and other scientific displays. The Royal Polytechnic Institution soon surpassed it in popularity largely due to John Henry Pepper’s contribution toward festive science at the Polytechnic.

A scientist and inventor, Pepper turned the Polytechnic into a winter fairy tale. Optical pantomimes and a huge Christmas tree surrounded by stacks of scientific Christmas gifts were a huge hit, but the most popular attraction of all was the ghost. Pepper’s ghost was an illusion of a ghost appearing and disappearing on the stage. It was, however, not Pepper’s original invention—it was adapted from a previous design created by Henry Dircks, an English engineer, who designed but did not operate the mirror-based invention some years previously. The trick of the illusion was to project a concealed actor, who was hiding in a separate room, onto the stage. After each performance, scientists would give a thorough lecture on the science behind the magical performance and reveal the mechanisms behind it to the enthralled audience.

6Parlor Games

The Victorians were extremely fond of entertainment and parlor games, and there was no better time for that than Christmas. Parlor games were entertaining, helped pass the time, and cheered everyone up during times when there was little else to do. At times however, these games were downright dangerous and reckless. Take snapdragon, for example. During this game, a bunch of raisins were piled into a bowl with rum and then the rum was set on fire. The task was to snatch the raisins out of the bowl and eat them while they were still ablaze. Simpler games that are still played today included charades and “Change Seats!”

During the Victorian era, the loser of the game usually had to pay a forfeit, such as to kiss every lady in the room. Often, this forfeit seemed very agreeable to gentlemen, but to their disappointment, a lady frequently accompanied them around the room and did all the kissing on their behalf. Other inventive forfeits included uttering half a dozen compliments to a lady without using the letter L or making like a Grecian statue and allowing others to put your limbs into positions of their choosing.

Forfeits for ladies were similar and often included kissing as well. One such forfeit was to kiss a gentleman in a “rabbit fashion,” whereby a lady and a gentleman of her choosing both put one end of a piece of cotton in their mouths and pecked toward each other until they were kissing.

5Oysters

The type of meat served to the table by Victorians largely depended on the wealth and location of the family. While the wealthy chose beef and turkey, especially for occasions such as Christmas, the poor were not able to afford such expensive meat and instead had to settle for something less extravagant, such as geese. However, sometimes even geese were far too expensive, and in such instances, poor families had to settle for a cheaper festive dinner.

During the Victorian era, oysters were plentiful and cheap. Small oysters were often sold as fast food on the streets as well as pickled to keep for later. Bigger oysters were either put in stews and pies or eaten on their own. Oysters were also frequently consumed in public houses and went nicely with a pint of stout beer. Knowing this, it comes as no surprise that in this era, the demand for oysters, which were also known as “the poor man’s protein,” was high. For those who could not afford any other meat, it was oysters and not turkey that was most often the centerpiece of the Christmas dinner.

4Christmasing

Christmasing was a Christmas tradition whereby vendors gathered various festive branches, such as mistletoe and holly, and sold them for profit in the days before Christmas. Houses, pubs, inns, and churches were heavily decorated with these festive branches, and often, puddings and sometimes even mince pies were decorated in this way also.

Holly was more popular than mistletoe for various reasons, the most important being price. Holly cost less than half the price of mistletoe, and there was more of it. As well as that, holly can be grown in any hedge, while mistletoe grows only in the branches of specific trees, such as apple and hawthorn. Thus, mistletoe was frequently seen as the purchase of the wealthy classes or those who hosted parties. As such, it became something of a status symbol to have some in your house.

A few weeks before Christmas, street vendors often scrounged the neighborhoods of London for holly. It was a precarious trade, however, since vendors often had to trespass into private grounds and land to obtain these festive branches. If caught by the master of the house or its servants, the vendor was lucky to have only the holly taken away from him. To obtain mistletoe, vendors had to trespass orchards and often faced danger from dogs, traps, and spring guns. Thus, they scrounging for mistletoe much more rarely.

3Goose Feather Tree

The goose feather tree—a collection of goose feathers dyed green and decorated with small ornaments—was the first artificial German, and later Victorian, Christmas tree. Feathers of swans, turkeys, and ostriches were also used. These peculiar Christmas trees were first brought over to America by German immigrants who found it difficult to find fir trees in their native land due to deforestation. At the time, it was popular to chop of the tip of a fir tree and use it as a Christmas tree. However, the rest of the fir tree then became useless as it could no longer grow or provide timber. Statutes were even created to stop people from having more than one Christmas tree to prevent excess damage to fir tree populations.

It was not overly difficult to make these festive trees. All one needed was either sticks or wire and feathers. The sticks were covered with the feathers and then drilled into a larger stick to resemble branches. Often, the feathers were died green in imitation of pine needles.

2Football

During the Victorian era, and indeed right until the 1950s, football on Christmas day was a tradition important as any other. In an era when entertainment options were few, football frequently resulted in fans postponing their Christmas roast dinner to attend a match. Important matches were often played both on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. In 1888, for example, Everton played two matches on Christmas day, attracting about 2,000 people—a large crowd for the time. Their match on Boxing Day was less exciting (it was a draw) and resulted in a lower turnout (but then again, it was played in a shower of hailstones).

The very first football league match played on Christmas Day was in 1889 between Preston North End and Aston Villa. Both teams were incredibly strong, and 9,000 people came to watch the match.

When football leagues grew, fans started traveling longer distances to view Christmas Day matches. Fortunately, there was no public transport shutdown, and thus people could follow football leagues without difficulty. Later, when televised matches were introduced, this tradition was largely abandoned.

1Goose Clubs

Even though the centerpiece of a Christmas dinner in Victorian England was usually a goose, most people earned only a couple of shillings a week and were far too poor to afford it. It was easier for poor working families living in rural areas since farmers often gave a bird or a piece of meat to their workers as a Christmas bonus, and squires frequently gave meals to their tenants. However, poor families that lived in towns and cities had no such opportunities of free Christmas meals. Thus, they often joined “Goose Clubs.”

Members of this peculiar club paid a couple of pence a week into the club’s fund, which then went toward the purchase of a goose just before Christmas. This ensured that everyone, even the poorest families, could enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner. Frequently, local bakers stayed open late on Christmas day and cooked the geese for the poor.

Laura is a student from Ireland in love with books, writing, coffee, and cats.

While most children around the world hope for a visit from Santa on Christmas Day, in some parts of the world different tales are shared during the holidays. On this list are some of the creepiest Christmas creatures you and your kids should hope to never encounter.

See Also: 10 Bizarre Things You Didn’t Know About Christmas

10 Elf on the Shelf

The Elf on the Shelf is not a monster per se, but what started out as a cute new tradition for Christmas is starting to terrify kids instead. A little miniature elf is being sold as “Santa’s special scout to help manage the lists of who’s been naughty or nice”.

Unfortunately the little elf doll kind of resembles a creepy clown that is scaring kids instead of making them excited about Christmas presents. There are many stories now on the Internet of people setting up cameras in their home and then catching these elves moving about, and even using the toilet and flushing it! Some children are so scared of the elf that they can’t sleep until, their parents remove it from where they can see it.

9Hans Trapp

The German story of Hans Trapp is said to be based on real life Hans von Troth who was allegedly a satanist and just all-round bad person. The Catholic Church got tired of his fights with his neighbors and other evil habits and banished him to a forest.

While in the forest, Hans Trapp began craving human flesh to the point where he made himself up to look like a scarecrow, stabbed a young boy to death and cooked him. However just as he was about to start feasting, Trapp was struck by lightning and died on the spot. Now Trapp is said to be one of Santa’s helpers who punish naughty children at Christmas while wearing his scarecrow outfit.

8 Belsnickel

Belsnickel is a angry-looking man in fur (the opposite of Santa really) that comes to visit children in the days leading up to Christmas. He has a bag of sweets and nuts in one hand and a wooden switch in the other. Throwing the sweets on the floor, he would whip the children who grabbed them.

Children are also told to recite Bible verses or poems and are sternly warned by Belsnickel to be good before Santa arrived. The tale of Belsnickel is told in Germany, France and Switzerland and takes different forms such as an animal-figure wearing a horned mask of a tiny white creature with the ability to slip through a keyhole.

7Kallikantzaroi

Goblins known as Kallikantzaroi come out from their underground lair during the twelve days of Christmas according to a tale told in Southeastern European countries.

A child born during these days, also known as the unbaptized days, are said to have a great change of turning into a goblin once they are grown-up. In order to prevent a new-born baby from turning into a large, hairy goblin with many different animal parts when they are an adult, the baby should be bound in straw or garlic or have its toenails singed. Another way to keep them away is to leave a colander outside the door. These goblins can’t count higher than two and will be distracted trying to count the holes in the colander and disappear again at dawn.

6 Tomte

The Tomte, according to Scandinavian legend, is a gnome-resembling creature out to protect farmers and their farms. These beings wear farmer clothes and are old with long beards and incredible strength.

It all sounds very good until a Tomte is offended by something a farmer does such as change the way the farm is run or abusing the farm animals. Once a Tomte is angry it has the ability to drive people insane or it will even bite them leaving behind a potentially fatal poison. Smaller offenses such as forgetting to add a spoon of butter on the Tomte’s bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve will cause it to wreak disaster on the farm.

5Anti-Claus

Claude Claus, also known as the Anti-Claus, is said to be Santa Claus’ evil twin brother who was given up for adoption. Santa and Claude’s mother was convinced by a soothsayer to give Claude up as he was evil and should not grow up with the good child Santa. Therefore she left Claude on the doorstep of a church where he was taken by an equally evil couple who abused him.

He eventually killed them both initiating a killing spree that is said to carry on to this day. After learning who his twin brother is, Claude became even more evil, creating Dark Christmas when his mission to take over Halloween failed. He travels in a black sleigh headed by hell hounds and a lone werewolf delivering gifts to the evil on Dark Christmas day, 26 December. He also attacks Santa’s sleigh in mid-air leading to bright fireworks.

4 Le Père Fouettard

Père Fouettard was a butcher , according to legend, who murdered three children in 1150. There are various versions of the story including that his wife drugged the children, slit their throats and then cooked them.

St. Nicholas came to the rescue of the children, brought them back to life and reunited them with their families. He chided Père Fouettard for his crimes and punished him by forcing him to become his helper for eternity. In Eastern France the tale now goes that Père Fouettard goes by Le Père Fouettard and accompanies St Nicholas when he delivers gifts to children. He has a creepy old face, long beard and carries knapsack in which he kidnaps naughty children as well a whip to beat them with.

3Joulupukki

A Joulupukki is a Yule goat-like creature from Finnish lore that scares children during Christmas time. They have mean ugly faces with horns and go around demanding gifts from children. Historically Joulupukkis could be warded off by prayer and certain rituals.

Strangely enough, there is now a modern day tale about Joulupukkis that make them sound a lot less evil. This story includes them resembling Santa, giving out presents during the day when it’s Christmas time and conversing jovially with children. It is unknown why the creature turned from bad to good but both tales are still popular in Finland.

2 Straggele

Demons called Straggele sometimes accompanies a creature called Frau Perchta in countries such as Switzerland and share some of the goodies left out by humans who hope to escape punishment and receive favor in the form of wealth and good health from Perchta.

However, this is not the only reason these demons are out and about on Christmas Day. Sometimes Perchta leaves the punishment of children to these awful demons and they take full advantage of this opportunity by robbing children who haven’t been particularly good. Then they gather the children up and fly away with them only to rip them apart during flight.

1 Frau Perchta

As mentioned above, Frau Perchta is a creature sometimes described as a witch or beast that has two faces, one for good children and the other for naughty children. Starting out with good deeds, she leaves silver in the shoes of good children on the 12th day of Christmas.

The naughty children would do best to run for their lives however, as Perchta is wont to slice open their stomachs, remove their internal organs and stuff their ruined bodies with straw and stones. It is unknown what she does with the organs after removing them but most likely they end up being a Christmas feast for her and the Straggele. Rumor also has it that Perchta is a shape-shifter that can take any form.

Back in 1898, George Albert Smith created one of the first Christmas films on record. The simple black and white footage showed Santa coming down the chimney of a family home and delivering gifts to sleeping children. Clocking in at just over a minute in length, the silent picture shows just how radically the industry has changed.

The Christmas movie is now big business, with Hollywood releasing anything from blockbuster epics to telefilm feel goods. Every July, Christmas decorations begin taking over parts of British Columbia in Canada. Film crews swarm the area and begin making dozens of inexpensive festive-themed movies for the likes of Hallmark and Lifetime (Hallmark made two dozen of them in 2019 alone). Many of the major streaming sites, including Netflix, are also jumping on board.

With the Yuletide season upon us once again, and with so many people still in lockdown, there is plenty of time to catch up on some of the classics. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at just 10 intriguing Christmas movie facts.

10 Unconventional Christmas Traditions From Around The World

10 John Candy was Paid Peanuts for Home Alone

Home Alone was made on a shoestring budget of just $18 million. Warner Brothers was originally at the helm of the project, until production costs soared past the film’s initial $10 million budget. But Home Alone writer John Hughes predicted the studio would backslide on its commitments. He secretly arranged for an alternative backer, leaving a copy of the script at the headquarters of 20th Century Fox. “Basically a screenplay was left somewhere so someone could pick it up. It was clandestinely delivered,” explained producer Scott Rosenfelt. So when Warner scrapped production, Hughes and co. were ready to continue work under an entirely different studio.

Funding remained a major obstacle. The actor who played Marv (Daniel Stern) quit after he was asked to work an additional two weeks with no extra pay. After things didn’t work out with his replacement, the studio convinced Stern to come back. Meanwhile, John Candy was paid virtually nothing for his role as Gus Polinski – the lovable musician who reunites Kevin McCallister with his mother. Candy filmed his scenes in just a single day and received less pay than the actor who played the pizza delivery guy ($414). The film has since grossed nearly half a billion dollars.^[1]

9 A Pregnancy Made Die Hard Possible

Bruce Willis wasn’t exactly the studio’s first choice to play John McClane. The studio, keen to get a tried and tested action star on board, first approached the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Harrison Ford. Even Clint Eastwood, who owned the rights to the film in the ‘80s, was considered for the part.^[2] The studio had so little confidence in Willis’ ability to get eyeballs at the box office that it marketed the film posters with images of just the Nakatomi Plaza.

At the time, Willis was starring alongside Cybill Shepherd in the comedy TV show Moonlighting. Production of Die Hard conflicted with shooting for Moonlighting, meaning Willis was initially forced to reject the part. In 2013, the actor explained how everything changed: “Thank God Cybill Shepherd got pregnant. [Producer] Glenn Caron gave us off 11 weeks and I went to go do Die Hard.’”^[3]

Willis went through a lot during his time as the rough and ready New York cop. He lost two-thirds of his hearing in one ear, after firing blank cartridges from a prop gun. On his first day of shooting, he performed an action stunt involving an explosion atop Nakatomi’s rooftop helipad (it was actually just a five-story garage). The production team used bags of gasoline to simulate the building exploding, smearing Willis in fire-retardant goo to protect him from the ensuing inferno. The force of the blast was so powerful that it almost threw the action star clear of the air bag: “I was like, ‘Why would you shoot this scene first?’ And they were like, ‘If you were killed at the end of the movie, it would cost us a lot more money to reshoot the whole thing with another actor.”

8 The Reason for It’s a Wonderful Life’s Meteoric Success

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is widely regarded as one of the best movies of all time. This was not always the case, however. The film received mixed reviews upon its release in December 1946 and initially failed to recoup its production costs. The film quickly disappeared from public consciousness, until many decades later.

It turns out that films shot before 1968 are subject to the U.S. Copyright Act of 1909.^[4] Any movie that falls under the act is automatically awarded a 28-year copyright term. A second 28-year term then comes into force, but only if the copyright holder applies for it. In this case, Republic Pictures failed to fill out the necessary paperwork and lost its rights to the film. The embarrassing blunder meant It’s a Wonderful Life entered the public domain in 1978, prompting television networks to broadcast the film during the holidays. After several decades of royalty-free broadcasts, the movie became synonymous with Christmas.

In 1993, Republic Pictures took the matter to the Supreme Court. The studio argued that it retained copyright privileges, because it owned the rights to the story the movie was based on (The Greatest Gift).^[5] After winning the case, Republic gave NBC exclusive rights to show the film on its network.

7 The Grinch that Caused Mental Health Problems

The Grinch was a grueling experience for everyone involved. It took over eight hours to apply the makeup for Jim Carrey’s first shoot. Carrey was far from amused. He returned to his trailer and, in a fit of anger, put his foot through the wall. The studio took unusual measures, arranging for Carrey to meet with someone who specialized in teaching CIA operatives how to endure torture. All in all, Carrey was forced to don the Grinch suit 100 times.

This grueling process also took its toll on the film star’s makeup artist, Kazuhiro Tsuji. In 2017, Kazuhiro told the press that production of the film was delayed because of Carrey’s many meltdowns, with the actor often going missing for long periods. While the atmosphere on set eventually improved, the makeup artist later admitted that he needed therapy sessions after working with Carrey.^[6]

6 Bill Murray Suffered on the Set of Scrooged

In 1988, Bill Murray delighted audiences with his comedy take on A Christmas Carol, Scrooged. The film sees Murray play the part of Frank Cross, a big shot TV executive who becomes obsessed with getting the best network ratings. Like Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge, Cross is visited by three ghosts who remind him of the importance of friendship and family during Christmas. Several scenes involve the Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane), an abusive fairy who constantly beats, slaps, and pinches Frank into submission. Much of this slapstick comedy, it turns out, was very real.

Bill Murray made the mistake of telling Kane to make the scenes look as authentic as possible. “There’s a piece of skin that connects your lip with your gums and it was really pulled away,” Murray recalls. “She really hurt me.” Shooting was temporarily suspended to allow the actor’s lip to heal itself. One of Murray’s brothers, who also starred in the film, found the scenes particularly enjoyable: “[I]t was fun watching Carol Kane almost take his nose off with a toaster repeatedly.”^[7]

The scenes affected Kane emotionally. In an interview with the now-defunct sci-fi magazine Starlog, Murray and film director Richard Donner described how the actress would break down in tears for 20 minutes at a time.^[8]

10 Weird British Christmas Traditions

5 Why Elf 2 Never Happened

Elf was a career first for Will Ferrell, representing his first lead role in a major movie. The film received critical acclaim and went on to gross a staggering $220 million. So it came as quite the surprise to learn that a sequel was no longer in the works. Officially, Farrell says he declined the role because he did not want to play “Buddy the middle-aged elf.” ^[9]

Actor James Caan, who played Buddy’s father, has a somewhat different take on why Elf 2 never happened. “The director [Jon Favreau] and Will didn’t get along very well. Will wanted to do it, and he didn’t want the director. He had it in his contract. It was one of those things.”^[10]

The studio offered the Anchorman star $29 million to put the green tights back on, but Ferrell declined. In an interview in 2006, the comedy legend said he couldn’t stomach the idea of making a subpar sequel for a quick buck.^[11]

4 The Nightmare Before Christmas was Painstaking

The Nightmare Before Christmas used stop-motion animation to bring Jack Skellington and his spooky sidekicks to life. As the Tim Burton epic was shot in 24 frames per second, animators would need to move each of the characters in a scene 24 times for each second of usable footage. With just one minute of footage taking up to a week to shoot, it’s no wonder the film took three years to finish.^[12]

At the start of production, a team of sculptors set about crafting hundreds of puppets. Movable skeletons were embedded in each character mold, allowing animators to move them on the fly. Many of the facial expressions were achieved by switching between different model heads. Jack Skellington, for example, had around 400 heads.

The studio constructed hundreds of model sets across 19 sound stages. A series of trap doors were then carved into each set, providing enough space for film workers to reposition their characters. This process was not without its difficulties, though. A single mistake in the lighting or camera work would cost the team hours of work. “If you have a problem with a frame, you have to re-photograph the entire thing,” explained the supervising animator, Eric Leighton.

3 The White Christmas Ending was Reshot for Royalty

The 1950s was the Golden Age of Television, with TV sets starting to appear in living rooms across America. The shift sparked panic among movie executives, who noticed that many of their high-profile stars were shifting to television. In a bid to keep audiences coming back to the movie theater, new technologies were starting to gain traction. Released in 1954, White Christmas was lauded for introducing cinema-goers to VistaVision, a new printing process that provided deeper colors and a sharper widescreen picture.^[13] It worked. The Christmas flick was a storm at the box office, raking in over $12 million and generating rave reviews.

White Christmas tells the tale of a couple of movie producers, played by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, who try to save their former army buddy’s inn from financial ruin. The two put on a stage show at the establishment and invite their brothers in arms to attend. The final scene sees Crosby and Kaye close out the show with an iconic rendition of White Christmas.

Rosemary Clooney (George Clooney’s aunt) played Crosby’s love interest. She recalls how the cast and crew had just finished wrapping up the film’s musical finale when the director, Michael Curtiz, asked them to re-do the entire scene. The director thought the pretend reshoot would impress a couple of very special visitors: the king and queen of Greece. But Crosby wasn’t a fan of the idea.

“Michael Curtiz said, ‘now the king and queen of Greece are coming to visit the set, and I want to pretend that we’re shooting this over again,’” explained Clooney. “And I hear Bing [whispering], ‘Not me.’ And so I say, ‘Where are you gonna go?’ And he says, ‘Golf.’”^[14]

2 Love Actually’s Missing Story Thread

Love Actually follows a group of ordinary people as they gear up for the Christmas holidays. The film’s interweaving story became a huge box office success following its 2003 release, with the film earning a healthy $250 million. But it turns out that one major story arc was left on the cutting room floor.

The film’s writer and director, Richard Curtis, came up with a tragic story about a lesbian headmistress who loses her partner to cancer. The audience is first introduced to the headmistress as she rebukes a student for coming up with a bizarre Christmas wish – the ability to see a person’s farts. But we soon learn there is a reason for her sense of humor failure. After school finishes, she returns home and cooks for her bedridden partner, Geraldine. As the scene unfolds, we soon discover that Geraldine is terminally ill.

“I was really sorry to lose this,” said Curtis.^[15] The famed comedy writer explained that the couple’s story was cut because one of the scenes no longer made sense after the edit. He also touched upon the abruptness of Geraldine’s death, which receives only a passing reference before the film’s finale.

1 TV Execs Weren’t Keen on A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas defied expectations upon its release in 1965, with nearly half of the TV-owning public tuning in to watch the cartoon. Today, the holiday special is a staple of the American Christmas. But in the run-up to the broadcast, TV executives were not convinced of its potential. Charlie Brown talks about how Christmas is making him depressed, while other characters complain about the festive season’s commercialization. The network bosses were critical, claiming the work was “better suited to the comic page.”^[16] CBS only decided to run the special because it was already listed in the TV guide.

The creators were also conflicted. The animation director, Bill Melendez, thought the religious-themed ending was too “dangerous.” A despondent Charlie Brown asks, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Linus responds with a perfect recital of the Gospel of Luke, taking center stage to recount the birth of Jesus Christ.

It was Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanut gang, who pushed for the inclusion of the Biblical verses. Having converted to Christianity shortly after his experience of World War II, much of Schulz’s work was heavily influenced by religion.^[17] Melendez remained nervous about Linus’ monologue, as most television shows avoided religious themes. Schulz told Melendez, “Bill, if we don’t do it, who else can?” The gamble paid off, and A Charlie Brown Christmas looks set to celebrate its 55th anniversary.

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