You’ve heard of the 12 Days of Christmas, right? Well here’s a fun take on it: The 12 Things You Never Knew About Christmas:

1. Yes, it was a fire hazard, but Christmas trees were originally lighted with actual candles. As a result containers filled with water had to be kept near the Christmas tree.
2. Who started the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition? Construction workers! They are credited with placing an undecorated tree at the site in the early 1930s.
3. Who keeps the White House properly adorned with Christmas trees each year? The National Christmas Tree Association, which has maintained a presence in the White House at Christmas by donating a Christmas tree to the First Family since the mid-1960s.
4. The first manufactured Christmas tree ornaments were sold by the former Woolworth department store in 1880.
5. Lead was once used in the manufacture of tinsel, causing it to be prohibited. So, now-a-days, it is manufactured from plastic.
6. The first Christmas greeting cards were developed in the late 1830s. In Britain, John Calcott Horsley started to produce small cards that had festive scenes and a holiday greeting written inside. Around the same time in the U.S., R.H. Pease, in Albany, New York, and Louis Prang, who was a German immigrant were creating similar cards. However, the idea of sending these out during the holidays didn’t gain popularity for another 10 years, when new postal delivery services started.
7. Where did the term “Xmas” come from? Some believe that it came from the Greek word ‘Xristos’ which means Christ, and the short form has been popular in Europe since the 1500.
8. For 200 years, candy canes were only white, says the National Confectioners Association. It wasn’t until the 1950s that this holiday confection was able to be mass produced.
9. In England, the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. Several stories exist for the origination of the name. It is believed to have originated from the practice of boys who would be about collecting money in clay boxes. Another thought is that the term is derived from a custom in the Middle Ages, about 800 years ago, when churches would open their ‘alms boxes’ and distribute the contents to poor people on the day after Christmas. Alms boxes are boxes in which donations of gifts and money would be placed. Yet another belief is that it comes from a custom of masters giving their servants Christmas presents in boxes on the day after Christmas.
10. Before Christianity started, people would hang evergreen branches over their doors and windows because evergreens were believed to ward off witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness.
11. Christmas is celebrated in December, in part, because the holiday would coincide with the winter solstice celebration of sun god worshipers. Doing this would make it easier for them to make the transition to Christianity. The ancient peoples celebrated the winter solstice because they believed that the sun god was starting to regain strength after falling ill … something he did every year, bringing on winter.
12. In the earlier years of the U.S., following the American Revolution , it was unpopular then to observe and take part in English customs … including Christmas. In fact, Christmas celebrations were barred in Boston from 1659 to 1681 — anyone caught participating in any event or activity related to Christmas had to pay five shillings. So, it might not surprise you that in 1789, Congress did business on Christmas Day, the first one to be observed under the country’s new constitution.

When I was growing up, we always had a star at the top of the Christmas tree. Then, sometime after my family changed, split into two, the tradition changed. Now there was always an angel.

However, a few years ago, I changed that in my home when I found the most beautiful Santa tree topper at a Dollar Tree. He wears a forest green robe and little gold spectacles. He’s really quite wonderful and looks much more valuable than the dollar I paid for him.

There is something special about a Christmas tree topper … they often have a special meaning for each family. Some families use the same one year after year, like mine did. Others make a special trip to select a new one each year.

The most common Christmas tree toppers are stars and angels. Some are static, others are attached to wires and light up or move in some way. Some are solemn, others have a sense of humor.

Other Holiday objects have now joined the Christmas tree pantheon. You can now find toppers shaped like

• A snowflake
• Santa
• The Virgin Mary
• Christmas bobbles
• Disney characters
• The Cross
• Stars with images of celebrities

Ultimately, the choice of Christmas tree topper is a very personal one and the choice reflects, in some small way, your Holiday spirit. So enjoy your selection! It only comes out once a year.

Christmas Tree Toppers at Amazon