Strange Christmas Facts

Christmas is perhaps the most anticipated event of the year. It is a time of good natured gift exchange, feasting and celebration. Nothing beats the fun and good times that can be experienced during the Yuletide season. Yet Christmas is not without its strange associations, a few of these have been listed below, some may even elicit a chuckle or two.

• The legendary Christmas pudding is actually an off shoot of the Celtic dish frumenty. The strangeness of the pudding is inspired by the myth that surrounds it. Supposedly people believed it was unlucky to cut a Christmas cake before Christmas Eve. But, the pudding wasn't the only thing that was guarded by a long-standing myth. Mince pie was said to be unlucky if cut with a knife, additionally it was considered to encourage bad luck when eaten outside of the period between Christmas Eve and Twelfth Night. The great thing about Mince pie however, is that it somehow had the magical power to give you good luck if you ate one every day for the twelve days of Christmas.
• Christmas Carols are great, right? Wrong, well at least according to some folks down in Pensacola Florida who were outraged at the loud singing that accompanied the rendition of a few old favourites at a Mall during the Christmas season. Maybe it wasn't so much the carols as the horrible singing that may have sullied the performance.
• “Pets are people too”, this may be what pet owners are thinking during the Christmas season. It has been estimated that at least 56 percent of Americans sing to their pets. It may just be more fulfilling considering that pets cannot possibly complain.
• The people at Reynolds et al make a substantial amount of money selling foil during the Yuletide season. It has been confirmed that at least 3000 tons of foil are used to wrap turkeys annually.
• Warning: Christmas shopping may be hazardous to your health. If you are an avid Christmas shopper statistics have concluded that you will be elbowed at least three times while shopping. Ouch!
• Sending Christmas cards is still the in thing to do around Christmas time. Americans on average send out 28 Christmas cards to friends and family yearly, and guess what, it's certainly not in vain either, most will receive 28 for the same period.
• Christmas is a great time to exercise. You will walk an average of five miles between the parking lot and stores, however, don't let this give you a false sense of security, most people still gain those pesky Christmas pounds despite this.
• Leftovers can sometimes be your enemy. Spoilt leftovers are responsible for 400,000 cases of post Christmas associated illnesses.