Ten interesting facts about Christmas

The holiday season is full of traditions, some shared and some unique. For many, Christmas requires a tree, greeting cards, parties, food and the sharing of gifts and fellowship. The history of how Americans celebrate the holidays is as diverse and fascinating as the population.

Here are ten interesting facts that you probably didn’t know. Feel free to recite these factoids as your own at your family gathering or workplace:

1. 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the U.S. each year.
2. Christmas trees have been sold in the U.S. since 1850.
3. It takes about 15 years to grow the average Christmas tree.
4. Alabama was the first state to officially recognize Christmas in 1836. Oklahoma was the last, in 1907.
5. Santa Claus is based on a real person: St. Nikolas of Myra. He is the patron saint of banking, pawn broking, sailing, orphans and New York City.
6. President Teddy Roosevelt, an environmentalist, banned Christmas trees from the White House in 1901.
7. Approximately 35 million living Christmas trees are sold each year in the U.S.; more than 45 million are planted.
8. Holiday purchases account for one sixth of all yearly retail sales in the U.S.
9. “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin is the best-selling single record of all time, with over 100 million sales, worldwide.
10. All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts.