Christmas Eve and Fun Trivia

For many of us, Christmas Eve is the most wonderful night of the year. We sing and read traditional favorites. We ponder and pray. On this night of all nights, we gather together and rejoice.

Imagine being a shepherd on that night
of nights and hearing the angels sing.

Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, Hallelujah!

The kingdom of this world is become

the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,

 And He shall reign for ever and ever,

King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!

Christmas Trivia: Fun Facts

• Q: How much does the average American family spend on Christmas gifts?
A: The average American family spends about $800 on Christmas gifts every year.


• Q: How many Christmas trees are sold each year?
A: Thirty-seven million fresh Christmas trees are sold each year.

• Q: What state first recognized Christmas as an official holiday?
A: Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday, starting in 1836.

• Q: How many candy canes are made each year?
A: More than 1.76 billion candy canes are made annually for the Christmas season.

• Q: Why do Barnum's animal crackers have a string handle?
A: Barnum's animal crackers in the circus-themed box were designed with a string handle so they could hang on a Christmas tree.


• Q: What are sugarplums?
A: Sugarplums are actually chocolate candies with cream, fruit preserves, or other sweet fillings inside.

• Q: What is wassail?
A: Wassail is a beverage dating back to the Middle Ages. The word is derived from the Old Norse ves heill, meaning "in good health." This evolved into visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health.Traditional wassail contained ale, wine, or hard cider topped with beaten eggs or stale bread. Modern recipes for wassail use hot apple cider simmered with spices and sweetened with honey.


• Q: Why are candy canes bent?
A: In 1670, a choirmaster in Cologne, Germany, bent the ends to resemble a shepherd's staff and handed them out to children during church services to keep them quiet. In the early 1900s, candy canes acquired their famous stripes. The first candy canes were straight, white sticks of sugar candy used as Christmas tree decorations.

• Q: Why do people eat mincemeat pie on Christmas?
A: Eating mincemeat pie on Christmas dates back to the 16th century. Traditionally, it was thought that eating a small pie on each of the 12 days of Christmas would bring good luck in the New Year.

He knows if you are sleeping!

"I want to emphasize that I have no quarrel with that well-fed gentleman with the red suit and the white whiskers. He was very generous to me when I was a boy, and we are looking

forward with great anticipation to his visit at our home.

All of those things with reference to Christmas are appropriate and

good and all of them are for children

-except, I suppose, the mistletoe."

~Elder Boyd K. Packer~

I think we all believe in Santa because he reminds

 us of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ!