General facts about CHRISTMAS

• England has only known 7 white Christmases in the entire 20th century.
• The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass".
• 25th December was not celebrated as the birthday of Jesus until the year 440 AD.
• The first Christmas stamp was released in Canada in 1898.
• The popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" was actually written for Thanksgiving, not Xmas.
• Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas Day is also widely celebrated by many non-Christians.
• Christmas season has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses.
• Xmas is sometimes used as an abbreviation for Christmas.
• Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church attendance.
• In the United States, the "Christmas shopping season" starts as early as October.
• Many U.S. retailers make up to 70 percent of their annual revenue in the month preceding Christmas.
• Industries completely dependent on the holiday include Christmas cards, and live Christmas Trees.
• In France, Christmas is called Noel.
• After "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens wrote several other Christmas stories, one each year, but none was as successful as the original.
• For every live Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.
• The Friday and Saturday before Christmas are the 2 busiest shopping days of the year.