12 Myths About Christmas the World Won’t Let Go

Deck the halls with boughs of folly

Published 5 months ago in Wow

Christmas: A celebration that has looked and felt the same year after year since 0 A.D., right? Wrong.

Since the earliest celebrations of the holiday, Christmas has been ever-changing, prompting new traditions and rituals year after year including pickle ornaments, iconic poems, and even Santa Claus as we know him.

From Mardi Gras-like celebrations to the truth about "Jingle Bells," here are 12 myths about Christmas that the world won't let go.

1
Santa Claus Has Always Been Around
Though Santa Claus may seem as old as Christmas himself, Old Saint Nick isn’t actually that old. First published in 1823, the work is often credited with inspiring modern imagery of Santa Claus.

2
‘The Night Before Christmas’ Was Written by Clement Clarke Moore
Published anonymously, the true authorship of this piece is anyone’s guess. Bible scholar Clement Clarke Moore may have alleged he penned the piece, but others claim that poet Henry Livingstone Jr. was responsible for the now-iconic seasonal poem.

3
Saint Nick Always Visited On December 25
“Santa Claus (St. Nick) used to give gifts on his saint day, December 6, but this eventually moved to December 25 after the Protestant-created reactionary figure Christkindl (a baby Jesus gift-giving figure) gave the gifts on Christmas Day instead.”
4
Jesus Christ’s Birthday was on December 25
Considering that neither religious texts nor historical accounts clearly state Jesus Christ’s birth date or season, his exact birthday is largely considered a mystery among Christians. While some state that mentions of grazing sheep around the time of Christ’s birth would rule out a December birthday, others cite the region’s mild winters and religious protocols around keeping livestock as arguments for a winter birthday.

5
The ‘X-Mas’ Abbreviation’ Removes Christ’ From ‘Christmas’
"'Xmas' is not an attempt to remove ‘Christ’ from ‘Christmas’, but rather a shortening to the Greek letter ‘Chi’, which is the first letter in the Greek spelling of Christ.”
6
Christmas Is As Old As Christianity
“The church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. However, Christmas did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century.”
7
Christmas Has Always Been About Family And Religion
“Christmas in the Middle Ages was more like Mardi Gras on steroids; including raucous parties that lasted for days, animal sacrifices, and adult trick or treating.”

8
“Jingle Bells” Is About Christmastime
Despite motifs of snowy carriage rides, 'Jingle Bells' was not written in celebration of the Christmas season. It began as a Thanksgiving-themed drinking song written by James Lord Pierpont, who was famously not a nice dude. "He's kind of a j—k, actually,” Boston University literature professor Kyna Hamill told CBC. “He would leave all of the time. He went out west to try to make his way with the gold rush. He went all over the place and left his wife with his father.” 
9
The Three Kings were, well, Three Kings
“Nowhere in the Bible does it say that exactly three magi came to visit the baby Jesus, nor that they were kings, or rode on camels, or that their names were Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar."
10
Boxing Day Was Always On December 26
“Boxing Day in the UK used to be pushed back a day to the 27th December if it fell on a Sunday. The 26th would be Christmas Sunday.”

11
Germans Always Put Pickles in their Christmas Trees
“The Weihnachtsgurke [is a] Christmas Pickle tradition of German-Americans. It's a pickle ornament hung on Christmas trees. While claimed to be a tradition from Germany, it's more likely that it was an American invention from the 19th century that has since been exported to Germany.”
12
Baby Jesus Looked Weird In Old Medieval Drawings Because of Artists’ Errors
“In the medieval period the church believed that Jesus was born a perfectly formed little man and changed little throughout his life. This is often reflected in the art of the time.”