Christmas Wiki

Christmas traditions around the world can be quite different from what we’re used to at home.

Christmas is the time of giving and families, but it also has a darker side.

The Elf on the Shelf—whether you find him cute, annoying or somewhere in between, he's everywhere these days, making the holiday season even more complicated for parents. We did a little investigating on this elusive creature that has become a phenomenon, and discovered a few things we didn't expect.

Santa Claus, who without a doubt really does exist, doesn’t have time to make a personal appearance in every Hollywood movie about Christmas ever made. Instead, he relies on a number of talented actors to portray him on the silver screen.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas is a time for brotherly love, family, friends, good food and presents. It’s also a time, apparently, for setting some pretty astonishing—and often downright wacky—holiday records.

Christmastime means garlands, garlands all over the place. When you see them hanging about shopping malls and your neighbors’ houses, you know the holiday season has arrived. As widespread as these decorative wreaths of flowers, leaves and twigs are, most people don’t really know why they’re associated with Christmas.

Santa Claus, that jolly fellow who races across the sky in his reindeer-pulled sleigh on Christmas Eve after judging who has been naughty or nice, needs no introduction. But his wife is another matter.

The Santa Claus the world knows—the “Coca Cola” Santa Claus decked out in red and white—is synonymous with Christmas, flying red-nosed reindeer, a big jolly laugh, and lots and lots of presents. Tales of old Saint Nick have spread across the planet and worked their way into numerous cultures. But do you know how the story of the fat man in the red suit first got started?

Candy canes have been around for hundreds of years, but they haven't always had that easily identifiable hooked shape. They also weren't red at all.