Raven Cohen
December 25th. Santa. Eggnog. Rinse and repeat, right? Not so fast. From banned celebrations to goat-shaped Santas, here are some surprising Christmas facts that’ll blow your candy cane-striped socks off.
📅 1. Christmas Isn’t Always on December 25th
While most of the world celebrates on December 25th, not everyone does. Thanks to different calendars (Gregorian vs. Julian) and cultural traditions, some people wait until:
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January 6th – Epiphany, celebrated in parts of Spain and Latin America.
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January 7th – Christmas Day for many Orthodox Christians (Russia, Ukraine, Ethiopia).
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January 19th – The Armenian Apostolic Church’s Christmas, celebrated by some in Armenia and parts of Jerusalem.
More time for cookies? Yes, please.
🎁 2. Not Everyone Gets Gifts from Santa
Santa’s got competition. Depending on where you are, the gift-bringer might be someone (or something) totally different:
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🎅 Russia – Grandfather Frost (with his granddaughter helper, no less)
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👶 Czech Republic – Baby Jesus brings the gifts. Seriously.
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👴 France, UK, Spain, Italy – Father Christmas does the rounds.
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🐐 Finland – The Christmas Goat (Joulupukki) brings the goodies.
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🧝 Norway & Sweden – The Christmas Gnome (Tomte/Nisse) sneaks gifts into homes.
We need a multiverse movie starring all of them.
🚫 3. Christmas Used to Be Illegal
You think your grumpy neighbor is bad? Try being festive in the 1600s.
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Massachusetts (USA) – Banned Christmas in 1659, with fines for merry-making.
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England – Oliver Cromwell outlawed it from 1647 to 1660, calling it “sinful.”
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Scotland – Kept the party shut down from 1637 to 1690, and only made Christmas a public holiday again in 1958!
Why? Because Puritans thought it was too rowdy, too Catholic, and way too much fun.
⏸️ 4. Some Places Literally Pause Christmas
In some countries, Christmas festivities are split into multiple days — or paused in between. For example:
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Ethiopia & Eritrea: Celebrate Ganna (Christmas) on January 7th, then pause for fasting and restart major feasts and gift-giving later in January.
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Armenian Apostolic Christians: Delay Christmas to January 6th, combining it with Epiphany, but preparation (like fasting and no decorations) starts well before.
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Spain & Latin America: Christmas Day is just the beginning. The real gift-giving happens on January 6th, for Three Kings’ Day — so December 26 to January 5 is basically one long pause with buildup.
Turns out “12 Days of Christmas” wasn’t just a weird song.
🎨 5. Why Red & Green? (Origins of Christmas Colors)
Red and green didn’t just randomly get chosen by the holiday gods. Here’s why they’re everywhere:
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Red symbolizes the blood of Christ in Christian tradition — and also matches Santa’s iconic Coca-Cola-colored outfit.
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Green represents life and rebirth, which is why evergreen trees (that stay green all winter) became Christmas trees.
Throw in gold tinsel for “heavenly light” and boom — holiday palette achieved.
🥊 6. The Real Saint Nick Was Kind of a Brawler
St. Nicholas of Myra wasn’t just a generous gift-giver — he also allegedly punched a heretic in the face at the Council of Nicaea in the 4th century.
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He’s the patron saint of children… and also sailors, merchants, and pawnbrokers.
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His legend grew from secret gifts and miracle tales — but don’t mistake him for a pushover.
Santa with a side of spicy.
🥒 7. Christmas Pickles Are a Thing (and No One Knows Why)
Some families hide a pickle-shaped ornament in the tree — whoever finds it first on Christmas morning gets an extra gift or good luck.
The catch? No one knows exactly where it came from:
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Germany? Probably not, despite the myth.
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Marketing stunt? Possibly — F.W. Woolworth sold them in the 1890s.
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Just weird? Absolutely.
Either way, the tradition’s crunchy, salty, and strangely festive.
🍗 8. Japan Celebrates with KFC (Yes, the Chicken Place)
Christmas isn’t a national holiday in Japan, but thanks to a wildly successful 1974 campaign, eating KFC for Christmas is a tradition.
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Families pre-order “Christmas chicken buckets” weeks in advance.
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It’s so popular, Colonel Sanders sometimes wears a Santa suit.
Deck the halls with fried chicken.
❌ 9. The “X” in Xmas Doesn’t Erase Christ (It’s Greek!)
Before you get defensive about “taking Christ out of Christmas,” here’s the scoop:
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The “X” in Xmas comes from the Greek letter Chi (Χ) — the first letter in Χριστός (Christos, meaning Christ).
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It’s been used by Christians for centuries, especially in religious writing.
So no, it’s not disrespectful. It’s just shorthand… from ancient Greek monks.
🧻 Wrap-Up: Christmas Is Weirder (and More Fun) Than You Thought
Think you’ve got Christmas all figured out? Think again.
From pickles on trees and Santa Goats to banned festivities and fried chicken traditions, the holiday season is a glittering mix of sacred, silly, and just plain strange. It’s a reminder that Christmas isn’t just about presents under the tree — it’s about culture, history, and how humans everywhere find joy in the darkest months of the year.
So whether you’re sipping eggnog, dressing up as a gnome, or just binge-watching holiday movies — embrace the weird. That’s part of the magic.
Just maybe don’t time-travel to 17th-century Scotland. They were not in the holiday spirit.
