Here are all the Christmas facts, stats and history I was able to uncover including Christmas history, movies, songs, trees, Santa Claus, Rudolph and more...

With Christmas just around the corner, I am sure you are all running around buying and wrapping presents, cooking and traveling all over creation. I am in the same boat, but I thought it may be interesting to take a quick break and reflect on the holiday itself. For a holiday we spend so much time thinking about all year, there is still much we don't know about it.

Here are a few Christmas facts and stats I was able to uncover that you may not have known about Christmas. Enjoy!

Photo by davidmulder61

Christmas History

• Date of the first Christmas: December 25, 336 in Rome
• Year the first Christmas card was sent: 1611
• From 1647-1660, Christmas was banned in England by the Puritans
• Year that mistletoe was first associated with Christmas: The 18th century
• First time Christmas was a bank holiday: 1834 in the UK
• First US State to recognize Christmas: Alabama in 1836
• Year of the first commercial Christmas card: 1843
• Year Christmas became a US Federal holiday: 1870
• Year the candy cane was first associated with Christmas: 1874

Christmas Facts and Stats

Percentage of Americans that celebrate Christmas:

92%

Average amount Americans spend on holiday gifts:

Christmas Tree History

• First recorded Christmas Tree: 1576 in Turckheim, Alsace
• Year the Christmas tree was introduced in the UK: 1832
• Year the Christmas tree was introduced in the US: 1850
• Year of the first known electrically-lit Christmas tree: 1882
• Year of the first lit US National Christmas Tree: 1923
• Year of the first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree: 1933

Christmas Tree Facts and Stats

Number of real Christmas trees sold in the US annually:

25-30 million

Number of Christmas tree farms in the US:

15,000

Number of Christmas trees growing in the us:

350 million

Percentage of Americans that put up a Christmas tree:

Largest exporter of Christmas trees in the world:

Santa Claus History

• When and Where did Saint Nicholas live: 4th century in Turkey
• First appearance of Father Christmas: 16th century
• Year "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (Twas the Night Before Christmas) was first published: 1823
• Year that the name 'Kris Kringle' was popularized: 1845
• First use of the name "Santa Claus" in the American press: 1773
• First appearance of Santa Claus in a Christmas parade: 1890
• Year that the editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" was first published: 1897
• First appearance of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: 1939
• Year that NORAD began tracking Santa Claus: 1955
• When was Mrs Claus popularized? 1950's and 60's

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer History

• Rudolph's first appearance: 1939 in a Robert May book.
• Year that Johnny Marks' Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song, sung by Gene Autry, was released: 1949
• Publication of Rudolph sequel Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Shines Again: 1954
• Year the Johnny Marks song Run Rudolph Run, sung by Chuck Berry, was released: 1958
• Year the Rudolph Little Golden Book was released: 1958
• Year the Rankin/Bass claymation Rudolph television special first aired: 1964 on NBC
  • Subsequent Rankin/Bass Specials: Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976) and Christmas in July (1979)
• Year Rudolph first appears on a US postage stamp: 2014

Classic Christmas Movies With Release Dates:

• Babes in Toyland - 1934; 1961 (Disney version)
• Scrooge - 1935, 1951, 1970
• A Christmas Carol - 1938, 1971, 2009
• Holiday Inn - 1943
• The Bells of St Mary's - 1945
• It's a Wonderful Life - 1946
• Miracle on 34th Street - 1947
• White Christmas - 1954
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - 1964
• A Charlie Brown Christmas - 1965
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas - 1966
• The Little Drummer Boy - 1968
• Frosty the Snowman - 1969
• Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - 1970
• The Year Without Santa Claus - 1974
• Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas - 1977
• A Christmas Story - 1983
• Mickey's Christmas Carol - 1983
• Die Hard - 1988
• Scrooged - 1988
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - 1989
• Home Alone - 1990
• The Muppet Christmas Carol - 1992
• The Nightmare Before Christmas - 1993
• The Nutcracker - 1993
• The Santa Clause - 1994
• Dr Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas - 2000
• Elf - 2003
• The Polar Express - 2004

Classic Modern Christmas Songs:

• Santa Claus is Coming to Town - 1934
• Winter Wonderland - 1934
• Carol of the Bells - 1936
• Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - 1939
• White Christmas - 1940
• The Little Drummer Boy - 1941
• The Christmas Song - 1944
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - 1944
• Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! - 1945
• Here Comes Santa Claus - 1947
• Sleigh Ride - 1948
• Baby It's Cold Outside - 1948
• Happy Holiday - 1948
• All I want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth - 1948
• Frosty the Snowman - 1950
• Silver Bells - 1950
• The Man With the Bag - 1950
• It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - 1951
• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - 1952
• Santa Baby - 1953
• Up on the House Top - 1953
• I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - 1953
• There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays- 1954
• Jingle Bell Rock - 1957
• Blue Christmas - 1957
• The Chipmunk Song (Alvin and the Chipmunks) - 1958
• Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - 1958
• Run Rudolph Run - 1958
• Must be Santa - 1960
• Dominick the Donkey - 1960
• Do You Hear What I Hear - 1962
• It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - 1963
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - 1963
• A Holly Jolly Christmas - 1964
• Little Saint Nick - 1964
• Silver & Gold - 1964
• Christmas Time is Here (Charlie Brown) - 1965
• My Favorite Things - 1965
• You're a Mean One, Mr Grinch - 1966
• We Need a Little Christmas - 1966
• Snoopy's Christmas - 1967
• Feliz Navidad - 1970
• Happy Christmas (War is Over) - 1971
• Step Into Christmas - 1973
• Please Come Home for Christmas - 1978
• Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer - 1979
• Wonderful Christmastime - 1979
• Same Old Lang Syne - 1980
• Last Christmas - 1984
• Do they Know its Christmas? - 1984
• Christmas in Hollis - 1987
• All I Want for Christmas is You - 1994
• 12 Pains of Christmas - 1994
• My Only Wish This Year - 2000
• Where Are you Christmas? - 2000
• Believe - 2004

Last updated: July 1, 2020