With the Christmas season around and the main event tomorrow, it is not surprising that people across the world are busy buying last minute gifts and preparing for the occasion. But, with the festivities lingering around, there are some crucial facts about Christmas that not many people are aware of. There are a number of unknown facts about Christmas that when told randomly won’t even sound true.

On the Christmas eve, we thought we’d share some of the facts about Christmas that many people aren’t aware of.

1. Christmas wasn’t always celebrated on December 25th

It is a fact that Christmas wasn’t celebrated always on December 25th as there is no specific mention of the same in the Bible. Many of the historians also believe that Jesus was born during the spring season and not the winters. Moreover, the birthday of Jesus was not even celebrated until the third century. The reason why December 25th was chosen to be the day of celebration is because it coincides with the festival of Saturnalia, devoted to the god of Saturn.

2. Prince Albert of Germany brought Christmas tree

The trend of using Christmas tree wasn’t a concept always. While majority of the excerpts credit the Romans and the Egyptians for the same, it is believed that the same was initially actually started by Prince Albert of Germany who introduced the tree to his wife, Queen Victoria. That was when the tradition started and has been used since then. If you look back in history, you will also find an illustration of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria in front of a decked up Christmas tree back in London News in 1848.

3. Santa Claus came from St. Nicholas

While we are all know of the bearded man with a big belly and red clothes as Santa Claus, the origin of that character stems from St. Nicholas. But, the real saint who epitomizes the character of Santa Claus wasn’t a bearded man in reality. All of these illustrations arrive a lot later. If the legends are to be believed, it is said that St. Nicholas was a very generous man, who gave away all of his inheritance back in the fourth century to help the people in need. He was also credited to have save numerous women from servitude.

4. Coca Cola created the Santa Claus we know

As we said, the traditional Santa Claus that we know now is not actually what the actual Christian bishop looked like. If you search for the early images of Santa, you will find a very spooky looking character which is where Coca Cola stepped in. It was later in the year of 1931 that the beverage brand hired an illustrator named Haddon Sundblom who was instructed to change the look to make Santa more jolly and friendly instead of spooky and scary. This was mainly done to attract the attention of the kids who shouldn’t be afraid of Santa anymore.

5. Hanging stockings for gifts started out accidentally

The one thing that every kid and every person is excited about during the Christmas days is hanging the stockings, right? Well, legends say that hanging the stockings actually started out on an accident. It is believed that it was a poor man who hung stockings by the chimney because he couldn’t afford to pay for his three daughter’s dowry. It was then that St. Nick dropped a bag of gold down the chimney at night and that is exactly where the tradition started from.

How many of these facts about Christmas did you know about?

By Somapika Dutta