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Tuesday 24 December 2019

Merry Christmas 2019

I Didn't Know That !     Some Christmas Facts ! 
Christmas is so close now, and you are probably like me checking lists, perhaps still wrapping presents and doing your best to be as organised as possible.
I certainly hope this scenario hasn't happened to you! 
"After queuing up to get your turkey, you arrive home only to find the cat has swallowed most of the tinsel and you completely forgot to buy any tangerines!" 

But have you ever stopped to wonder how these Christmas traditions started - why we kiss under the mistletoe, or give each other stockings full of goodies?


Speedy Santa
US scientists calculated that Santa visits 822 homes a second to deliver all the world's presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second.

Robins

Robins on cards were a joke 150 years ago when postmen wore red tunics and were named after them.

Mince Pies
Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.

Tangerines
The tradition of putting tangerines in stockings comes from 12th-century French nuns who left socks full of fruit, nuts and tangerines at the houses of the poor.





Wassailing
Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.

Carols
Carols weren't sung in churches until they were introduced by St Francis of Assisi in the 13th century.

Stockings
Hanging stockings out comes from the Dutch custom of leaving shoes packed with food for St Nicholas's donkeys. He would leave small gifts in return.




Christmas Trees
Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.

Noel

The word Noel derives from the French expression "les bonnes nouvelles" or "the good news".

Xmas
The abbreviation Xmas isn't religious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.

Tallest Tree
The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.


Jingle Bells
James Pierpont's 1857 song Jingle Bells was first called One Horse Open Sleigh and was written for Thanksgiving.


Turkey
Before turkey, the traditional Christmas meal in England was a pig's head and mustard.

Banning Christmas
In 1647, after the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell banned festivities. The law wasn't lifted until 1660.

World's Biggest Snowman

In 1999, residents of the state of Maine in America built the world's biggest ever snowman. He stood at 113ft tall.




Christmas Cards
The first commercial Christmas cards were commissioned by civil servant Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843.

Christmas Crackers
The largest Christmas cracker - 45.72m long and 3.04m in diameter - was pulled in Australia in 1991.


Bing Cosby
The bestselling Xmas single ever is Bing Crosby's White Christmas, shifting over 50million copies worldwide since 1942.

Band Aid

In Britain, the best-selling festive single is Band Aid's 1984 track, Do They Know It's Christmas?, which sold 3.5million copies. Wham! is next in the same year with Last Christmas, selling 1.4million.

Christmas Pudding
Christmas pudding was originally a soup made with raisins and wine.


you can see a low carb Christmas Pudding recipe here


Cracker Design
London sweet-maker Tom Smith created the first Christmas crackers in 1847, based on the sweet wrapper design.

Mistletoe Kisses
Kissing under the mistletoe is thought to spring from Frigga, the Norse goddess of love, who was associated with the plant.


Early Christmas Trees
They may date back to pagan traditions, but the earliest known reference to a Christmas tree is in a German pamphlet from 1570.




The First Christmas
The first Christmas celebrated in Britain is thought to have been in York in 521AD.

Other names of Christmas
There are many names for Christmas from the old times and these include 'Midwinter', 'Nativity' and 'Yule'.

The above and more can be seen here


And how about this!
Fruit Cake A Low Carb Alternative
"Please come into my kitchen and discover this 'low carb fruit cake which is a great alternative to a traditional fruit cake.' It can be enjoyed at any time of year but could prove a popular low carb Christmas alternative."

To learn more please use this link here 

Finally, in the midst of all the Christmas preparations, please take time to sit down and enjoy a refreshing cuppa - will it be tea or coffee?


Readers - you will find a variety of articles and recipe ideas, are within this blog. It is important to note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

In case you missed our earlier post:-

We wish all our readers the compliments of the Season and a happy, peaceful and healthy New Year.

Thank you so much for reading our blog, and a special thank you to the very kind people who take the time to comment.

Jan and Eddie

42 comments:

Tom said...

...too much trivia for my brain.

Elephant's Child said...

Thank you for these interesting facts - many of which were new to me. Pig's head and mustard? Shudder.
I hope that all have the very happiest of Christmases.

Sandi said...

"Before turkey, the traditional Christmas meal in England was a pig's head and mustard."

Well, it is low carb!

🤢

DVArtist said...

Very nice and informative Xmas post.

CJ Kennedy said...

Such fun facts.

dellgirl said...

Hey there Jan. This is some great information, it's very interesting too. It is really nice of you to share this with us, thank you for doing that.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to You!

My name is Erika. said...

Merry Christmas to you both. This was a fascinating post to read. I learned a lot! Hugs Erika

Christine said...

Thanks for these interesting facts, Merry Christmas!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I knew a few of these facts, but turkey was never on my Christmas plate. I think because we in the states have enough of it at Thanksgiving, we are more prone to ham or duck.

I remember my grandmother standing in line at the meat market and getting meat for mince pies. Now it's almost always found in a can or jar and vegetarian.

Merry, merry Christmas to you both.

NanaDiana said...

I knew some of these facts but not many of them. What fun to read about the traditions and backgrounds of them.
My daughter married a Noel--so now I have 3 little Noels to make Christmas extra special.
I hope you have a wonderful Merry Christmas. xo Diana

Sussi said...

Merry Christmas!

Valerie-Jael said...

Lots of interesting facts here! Happy Holidays, Valerie

Iris Flavia said...

Fun facts!!!
We were invited to mince pies in Australia and I expected beef. Nada. Sweet!!!
Oh, thank you, I didn´t know where Noel came from, that is good news indeed!
A big welcome to turkey (if I never had it) - a head???
Yes, Band Aid, I remember that, with a tear in my eye.
Fruit cake, aww, sweet, crunchy memories!
A Very Happy , Merry Christmas to you!

Carla from The River said...

Merry Christmas .. I would have loved to seen that snowman!
Have a blessed holiday season,
Carla

Jo said...

Some really interesting facts. Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas.

It's me said...

Merry Christmas ...love Ria ❤️🎄❤️

HappyK said...

Fun to read the interesting facts about Christmas.
Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2020.

Divers and Sundry said...

I got a kick out of seeing tangerines on your list. We used to get them in our stockings every year when I was a child, but at some point I quit being able to find them. I'd been looking for them every year without success until I found a bag at Fresh Market this year. I was downright gleeful lol

Louca por porcelana said...

Great post! Merry Christmas!

https://linsartyblobs.blogspot.com said...

Interesting facts. Merry Christmas!

angryparsnip said...

Wonderful post today.
I am so happy that I found your blog this year.

Merry Christmas !
cheers, gayle

Snowbird said...

Loved all these snippets, most are new to me! All the very best to you and yours Jan, have a wonderful Christmas.xxx

CraveCute said...

What a wonderful post, I learned a some new things and refreshed my memory on a few of those interesting facts. Happy Christmas! May all your dreams come true! ~ Diane

Rain said...

That was neat to read! I especially loved the tangerine history! Merry Christmas!!!

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas filled with joy, peace, happiness, hope and good health always.

God bless.

Angie said...

Jan and Eddie - this was fun post! Although my husband has been in the US for over 28 years, we still pull Christmas crackers at our Christmas dinner table. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Rose said...

Just came by to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and Happy New year...I am behind visiting...will eventually get caught up.

I enjoyed reading these.

Magic Love Crow said...

Jan and Eddie, wishing, you and your loved ones a Very Merry Christmas!!! Many blessings to you! Thank you for what you do! I love your blog and so does my mom! I've missed you! I'm going to try to go through some posts, while I have a few days off! Big Hugs!

Magic Love Crow said...

By the way, love this post!

Martha said...

Interesting facts. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

Wishing you and all your family the joys of Christmas, all the peace and all the blessings....What an interesting post. I've always wondered about Noel.

Ela said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family !
Greetings

Lisabella Russo said...

Thank you for all of these interesting tidbits! I hope you and your family have a lovely Christmas.

sage said...

Interesting facts. It's my hope you and yours had a Merry Christmas!

www.thepulpitandthepen.com

roughterrain crane said...

Enjoy the holiday in good health with delicious low carbo meals.

Angela said...

Merry Christmas!!!

pam nash said...

My all time favorite xmas song is the Bing Crosby/David Bowie - "Little Drummer Boy". Merry Happy!

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful Xmas post filled with wonderful historical notes ~ Hope you had a wonderful Christmas ^_^

Happy Moments to You,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Debbie said...

fun facts jan!! i hope you had a wonderful holiday!!!

William Kendall said...

Lots of facts. I hope you had a Merry Christmas.

Jeanie said...

I've been off blog for about a week now and am catching up, but thank you for your visits and your friendship. I love all these fun Christmas facts. I will save this post to remember for next year, too!

Conniecrafter said...

very interesting, I learned a few more things :) Hope you all enjoy a wonderful new year too!