In Italy they have no Christmas trees, instead they decorate small wooden pyramids with fruit. (huh?)
In Armenia, the traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of fried fish, lettuce and spinach. (Glad I'm not Armenian - bletch)
Artificial Christmas trees have outsold real ones since 1991. (Yep. I'm about ready to go back to cutting down a tree. Next year it's all about trekking into the spruce forest with hot coacoa and sawing down a tree...then immediately feeling guilty about it. I can hear trees scream. Such a curse.)
In Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, it is customary for the streets to
be blocked off on Christmas eve so that the people can roller-skate to church. (That does it. I'm moving.)
In Austria the children leave a shoe outside their door that night so that St. Nicholas can put fruit and nuts in them. (Austrians are strange)
Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. (Okay - I do not recommend testing this theory. My parents told me Maple syrup came from trees when I was 6. So one morning near xmas I decided to taste the pine sap... I think that horrid taste is still there to this day...)
There is a town in Indiana is called Santa Claus. (How much you wanna bet most of them hate Christmas?... and hot coacoa and bambi...lol)
Christmas is not widely celebrated in Scotland. (That sucks)
When visiting Finland, Santa rides on a goat named Ukko. (Riiiiight. Makes sense. By that time the reindeer must need a break. Anyone know if they are in a Union?)
Mistletoe was once revered by the early Britons. It was so sacred that it had to be cut with a golden sickle. (which is a hostel in Prauge apparently)
La Befana, a kindly witch, rides a broomstick down the chimney to deliver toys into the stockings of Italian children. (That just isn't right. That just plain old confuses me.)
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia leads the world in exporting lobster, wild blueberries, and Christmas trees. (Not at the same time, I hope.)
In an effort to solicit cash to pay for a charity Christmas dinner in 1891, a large crabpot was set down on a San Francisco street, becoming the first
Salvation Army collection kettle.
It is a British Christmas tradition that a wish made while mixing the Christmas pudding will come true only if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise direction. (naturally)
America's official national Christmas tree is located in King's Canyon National Park in California. The tree, a giant sequoia called the "General Grant Tree", is over 90 meters (300 feet) high. (Who gets stuck with having to put the lights on this sucker?)
The average household will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year. (Hmmm. Really? So it stands to reason that we should all get an average of 28 cards then? I'm counting people.)
The first Christmas card was created in England on December 9, 1842. (Who can prove this?)
A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard. (Mmm. That would certainly be one Christmas dinner where I wouldn't over indulge)
There are 364 gifts mentioned in "The Twelve Days of Christmas". (Greedy buggers)
The popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" was actually written for Thanksgiving. The song was composed in 1857 by James Pierpont, and was originally called "One Horse Open Sleigh". (I love this song)
8 comments:
I might be wrong - it can happen - but I don't think the one about Scotland is true. And if it is, I can't think for the life of me why.
I did see something bizarre last night though - watched Rocky IV, not so unusual in itself. But they announce the fight in Russia is to be on Christmas Day... And nobody mentions that that is not Christmas Day in Russia, they don't celebrate until January 7th.
28 Christmas Cards? Hmmm. I think I'm below average. Way below. On the receiving and sending.
In South Africa, we also have Santa. There's just one problem. We don't have any chimneys here! I just end up eating the milk and cookies myself. LOL
badge - I dunno. Perhaps you are correct about the Scot thing. I mean - really it doesn't make much sense now does it?
Glugster - We actually don't have a lot of chimneys here either. I just figured that Santa could beam himself in and out ala startrek...
Question: What's the big D that you are counting down to? I must have missed that.
earl - the end of something that actually ended a long time ago. Make sense? Maybe. Maybe not. But a happy day none the less!
Ah...I get it. The big "D". Gotcha.
AHA. (Slyde - he IS a wiz yes?) Just joking. Anyways - I will be getting good and smashed that day.
This comment is like...3 years too late but...love this...other countries are so...odd? But I'm sure they think the same about their own foreigners :)
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