While you’re sitting around the Christmas table, or driving to Grandma’s house, these bits of trivia and lore may keep the conversation interesting! Test yourself and your family.

Holiday Lore, Traditions, and Trivia

Does your dog like his biscuits?
According to old wives’ tales, at midnight on every Christmas Eve animals are given the power of speech for a brief period. (Better be nice to Fido that day.)

Where did the “X” in Xmas come from?
Contrary to what many people think, the “X” is not a way to get away from associating “Christ” with Christmas. Its origin is religious in nature. The Greek word that gives us the English word “Christ” started with the letter “chi” or “X”. The early Christians who spoke Greek used the word to signify “Christ’s Mass.” However, as centuries passed, fewer and fewer people understood ancient Greek and thought the “X” was pagan-like, and even showed disrespect.

When are the 12 days of Christmas?
The Christmas season begins at sundown on December 24 and lasts until sundown on January 5. The true 12 days of Christmas. (Tell that to the retail stores!)

Christmas Trivia

• The first Christmas card was created in England in 1842.

• The average American household mails 28 Christmas cards each year (numbers based on 2006 figures).

• California, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina are the leading producers of Christmas trees.

• Charles Dickens’ original phrase for Scrooge was “Bah Christmas” not “Bah Humbug.”

• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 by author Robert May.

—Trivia from Farmers’ Almanac freelance author Bryan Henry

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