There are so many things that we associate with Christmas but how much do we actually know about the things we surround ourselves with during the festive season?

Here are some fun facts about these Christmas symbols:

Mistletoe

There are around 1300 species of mistletoe worldwide, of which around twenty are endangered. Phoradendron is the scientific name for mistletoe, and it means thief of the tree in Greek. It is an important part of the eco system with several birds, butterflies and bees living off the berries, leaves and nectar of mistletoe.

Sleigh Bells

Sleigh bells help with Santa’s magical night around the world delivering gifts but did you know that Santa has to visit over 822 houses per second to reach everyone in one night?His sleigh travels at 650 miles per second to achieve this mammoth task which is over 3000 times the speed of sound!

Candy Canes

The candy cane has been around since the 17th century and over 1.8 billion candy canes are made each year around the world. Originally, candy canes were white and didn’t have the bend which replicates the shape of a shepherd’s crook.
The world’s largest candy cane was created in 2011 and was 63 ft tall!

Tinsel

Have you ever wondered how tinsel became such a big part of Christmas? Tinsel was first used in 1610 in Germany but it wasn’t just shiny plastic, it was shredded silver. The leading manufacturer of tinsel, Brite-Star,  has made enough tinsel to reach the moon and back! However, the inventor of tinsel remains unknown to this day.

Santa Claus

Santa is estimated to be 1749 years old but usually only needs 2 hours of sleep a night to feel refreshed! Santa is sometimes called ‘Kris Kringle’, a name which was popularized by a 1947 movie called Miracle on 34th Street. He lives in the North Pole with Mrs Claus and is always busy preparing the presents for Christmas.