While we celebrate Christmas in our own special family ways, there is a considerable amount of history and little known facts concerning this holiday. Did you know that…

. The first president to decorate the White House Christmas tree in the United States was Franklin Pierce.

. In A.D. 350, Pope Julius 1, Bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration for the birthday of Christ.

. The traditional three colors of Christmas are green, red and gold. Green has long been a color of life and nobility, red symbolizes the blood of Christ and gold represents light as well as wealth and royalty.

. Christmas trees usually grow for about 15 years before they are sold.

. Alabama was the first state to officially recognize Christmas in 1836.

. Commissioned by Sir Henry Cole (1805-1883), British illustrator John Callcott Horsley (1817- 1903) invented the first Christmas card in 1843. Each year more than three billion Christmas cards are sent in the U.S.A. alone.

. Christmas purchases account for one sixth of all retail sales in the U.S.A.

. In Poland, spiders or spider webs are common Christmas tree decorations because according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus. In fact, Polish people consider spiders to be symbols of goodness and prosperity at Christmas.

. In 1843, “A Christmas Carol” was written by Charles Dickens in just six weeks.

. In Mexico, wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve is said to bring new love in the upcoming year.

. “It’s a Wonderful Life” appears on TV more often than any other holiday movie.

. Contrary to popular belief, the poinsettia is not poisonous, but holly berries are.

. Germany made the first artificial Christmas trees. They were made of goose feathers and dyed green.

. Bolivians celebrate Misa del Gallo or “Mass of the Rooster” on Christmas Eve. Some people bring roosters to the midnight mass, a gesture that symbolizes the belief that a rooster was the first animal to announce the birth of Jesus.

. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.

. A Yule log is an enormous log that is typically burned during the Twelve Days of Christmas (Dec. 25-Jan. 6). Some scholars suggest that the word yule means revolution or wheel, which symbolizes the cyclical return of the sun. A burning log or its charred remains is said to offer health, fertility and luck as well as the ability to ward off even spirits.

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Information compiled from Random Facts website.