Christmas Countdown - 12 Days

Hello everybody and welcome back to another editon of Global History Hub! I’ll be your host, Mr. Nations, your tour guide to this massive world we all call home. Today marks the beginning of the Christmas countdown, so I’m here bringing you twelve fun Christmas facts. Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s dive straight into it!

1. 1066 – King William I of England was crowned on Christmas Day.
   
2. 1377 – During a Christmas feast hosted by King Richard the II of England in 1377, three hundred sheep and twenty-eight oxen were consumed.
   
3. 1640 – Scotland abolished the observance of Christmas (until 1958 when it became a legal holiday).
   
4. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) is believed to have been the first President to put a Christmas tree in the White House.
   
5. Christmas trees were banned by President Teddy Roosevelt in the White House in 1901 because the President was concerned about the environmental effects. 
   
6. 1915 – Hallmark introduced their first Christmas cards.
   
7. Boston, Massachusetts receives a tree from Nova Scotia, Canada because of the support given to the city of Halifax in 1917 when they experienced an explosion and fire disaster.
   
8. The people of London receive a tree for Trafalgar Square from the people of Oslo, Norway every year to thank them for their assistance during World War II.
   
9. During World War II, the Bicycle playing card company made decks of cards and gave them to the prisoners of war in Germany with hidden escape routes revealed when the cards were soaked in water as Christmas presents.
   
10. 1962 – the United States issued the first Christmas postage stamp.
11. It is believed Germany began the tradition of the Christmas tree. Additionally, tinsel, which was once made of actual silver, is traced to 1610 in Germany.
12. Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states including Hawaii and Alaska, but California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin are the top Christmas tree producing states in the U.S.

Sources: https://icebreakerideas.com/christmas-facts/