Top 7 Weird Christmas Facts!
#7 Smelly Mistletoe
It's that time of year again! Grab your sweetheart and head below the mistle toe! But do you
know the true origins of this smooch worthy plant?
Literally meaning “dung twig”, mistletoe is named after the fact that it tends to spring
out of bird droppings on trees after the seeds have passed through the bird’s digestive
tract.
Not only this but it can also be very parasitic, often requiring a host tree in order to sustain
itself. So, next time you kiss your significant other
beneath the mistletoe, remember, you’re standing beneath a parasitic poop twig.
#6 The Wartime Christmas Truce
Five months into World War One on the morning of December 25th, 1914, German soldiers positioned
on the western front emerged from their trenches and walked towards Allied troops yelling out
the words “Merry Christmas” in English.
To everyone's amazement it was not a trick and Countless British fighters came out to
greet them and shake hands, some even exchanging cigarettes as gifts.
Later known as the Christmas Truce of 1914, this event was one of the last examples of
wartime chivalry.
#5 Rudolph The Red Nose Drunk Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer got his start
as an advertising gimmick. A copywriter named Robert L. May first created the merry misfit
in 1939 to lure shoppers into the Montgomery Ward department store.
During the design process executives almost axed the character due to the fact a red nose
was a sign of chronic alcoholism and Montgomery Ward thought he would look like a drunkard.
Eventually clearer heads prevailed the the Rudolph we all know and love was born.
#4 The Santa Clause Spanking We all have a soft spot for our favorite Christmas
films, but did you know some of those classics contain some pretty hilarious mistakes?!
In the first release of Christmas blockbuster "The Santa Clause," Tim Allen mentions the
number "1-800-SPANK-ME" as a joke. This phone number ended up being a real phone sex service,
thus Disney tried to buy and discontinue the number.
According to sources, there were multiple cases of children racking up their parents'
phone bills by calling the number. A few notable instances include two 9-year-olds calling
the number to get $500 in charges and a 10-year-old girl who got $250 in charges, but also needed
counseling for what she heard on the line.
#3 A KFC Christmas Out of all the odd mutations of American culture
to be exported abroad, Japan’s KFC Christmas tradition is definitely one of the oddest.
Thanks to a successful marketing campaign 40 years in the making this tradition has
spawned a mass following.
During the month of December KFC Japan will bring in revenue in excess of up to ten times
greater than what it earns during other months of the year.
Massive Colonel Sanders statues—a common sight in the country—will be put up and
dressed in red attire and Santa hats.
On the night Christmas Eve, Kentucky Fried Chicken’s lines will wrap around the block,
and those unlucky enough not to pre-order their special fried chicken buckets a month
in advance may have to do without!
The legend has it a Western visitor couldn’t find turkey on December 25th and visited a
KFC for chicken instead; once at the store an enterprising franchise manager noticed
and passed on the tip. Whether true or not, it's certain that this tradition is here to
stay!
#2 Operation Christmas During the Christmas of 2010, the Colombian
military
selected nine 75 ft trees to cover with lights. The trees were strategically placed along
paths the FARC insurgents used and were decorated with Christmas lights including a message
stating "If Christmas can come to the jungle, you too can come home. Demobilize. At Christmas,
everything is possible."
When the men walked by, the trees lit up brightly and banners asking them to lay down their
arms became visible. Over 331 guerrilla fighters laid down their weapons and re-entered society,
a 30% increase from the previous year.
Due to the success of this operation It was followed by another code named: "Rivers of
Light", Civilians close to the conflict areas as well as friends and relatives of guerrillas
were encouraged to send a Christmas letters in floating LED-illuminated balls through
rivers and streams used by the insurgents.
In this mission 180 guerrillas demobilized, including one of FARC's main bomb makers.
#1 Drunk Mummers Every year during Christmas time in Newfoundland,
people called Mummers dress up in crude disguises such as pillow cases, scarecrow masks and
downright terrifying attire. These mummers go from house to house knocking.
At each house they visit, they begin to dance, play music, and most importantly get wasted
drunk while the hosts try to discover their true identities. The mummers will only reveal
themselves to the host if their identity is correctly guessed.
In one notable instance On June 25, 1861 an "Act to make further provisions for the prevention
of Nuisances" was introduced in response to the death of Issac Mercer in Bay Roberts,
Newfoundland.
Mercer had been murdered by a group of masked mummers on December 28, 1860. The Bill made
it illegal to wear a disguise in public without permission of the local magistrate. However
Mummering in rural communities continued despite the passage of the Bill.
It is thought that the early settlers from the UK took the custom of Mummering to Canada.
Whatever the origins this Christmas tradition is sure to go down as one of the strangest!