~ Winter was a time of celebration to pre-Christian Romans and they decorated fir trees in honor of this seasonal change.<\/p>\n
~ The use of a Christmas<\/a> wreath as a decoration on your front door, mantel or bay window symbolizes a sign of welcome and long life to all who enter.<\/p>\n ~Today poinsettias are the most popular Christmas<\/a> plant and are the number one flowering potted plant in the United States.<\/p>\n ~ Real Christmas<\/a> trees are an all-American product, grown in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii.<\/p>\n Most artificial trees are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.<\/p>\n ~ For every real Christmas<\/a> tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.<\/p>\n ~ In 1836, Alabama is the first state in the USA to declare Christmas<\/a> a legal holiday.<\/p>\n ~ The biggest selling Christmas<\/a> single of all time is Bing Crosby\u2019s White Christmas<\/a>.<\/p>\n ~ Due to the time zones, Santa<\/a> has 31 hours to deliver gifts? This means that he would have to visit 832 homes each second!<\/p>\n ~ In 1937, the first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas<\/a> was issued in Austria.<\/p>\n ~ For every real Christmas<\/a> tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place. Each hectare provides the daily oxygen requirements of 45 people.<\/p>\n ~ Epiphany, 6th January, is the traditional end of the Christmas<\/a> holiday and is the date on which we take down the tree and decorations<\/a>. To do so earlier is thought to bring bad luck for the rest of the year. From the middle ages until the mid-nineteenth century, Twelfth Night was more popular than Christmas<\/a> day, and even today some countries celebrate Epiphany as the most important day of the Christmas<\/a> season.<\/p>\n ~ Three years after Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb in 1879, Edward H. Johnson, who worked for Edison\u2019s company, had Christmas<\/a> tree bulbs especially made for him. He proudly displayed his electric tree lights<\/a> at his home on Fifth Avenue, New York City. They caused a sensation although some years were to pass before mass-manufactured Christmas<\/a> tree lights<\/a> were widely available.<\/p>\n