eCORRECTOR’s TOP 10 Christmas facts

Christmas is upon us, the hustle and bustle is gaining momentum, while children cannot wait to get presents from Santa. All that is missing is a little bit of snow ? 🙂 For eCORRECTOR?s team it is also a very busy time! We have completed a record month (and year) of proofreading and translation jobs with the help of our team of proofreaders and translators. For this particular reason – living in a busy world preoccupied with the upcoming events ? we should stop for a moment to catch a breath and learn something interesting about this unique time of the year.

We have gathered 10 most interesting facts about Christmas that you may enjoy:

1. The first written sources about Christmas trees are dated to 1531 and originated in Germany, while the first Christmas card appeared much later, in 1843.
2. The highest tree cut down to become a Christmas tree measured over 32 meters and could be found in 1950 in Seattle. This tree made it to the Guinness World Records!
3. The first artificial Christmas tree was made in Germany. Dyed goose feathers were used instead of branches and needles.
4. Historians are not certain which US President was the first to decorate a Christmas tree in the While House. Some claim it was Franklin Pierce, others ? Benjamin Harrison. What is known is that Theodore Roosevelt in 1901 did not agree to it due to his environmental convictions.
5. The English word mistletoe is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word misteltan, which means ?little dung branch?, as some linguists claim.
6. Poinsettia, or the Star of Bethlehem, is a non-poisonous Mexican plant. The Aztecs used it to treat fever.
   

   Poinsettia, commonly known as the Star of Bethleh

7. The tradition of hanging stockings near the chimney reaches the 4th century A.D. Two sisters forced into the ways of prostitution by their poverty hung their stockings in the evening near their chimney. At night, Saint Nicolaus (the bishop of Myra) filled them with riches, thus saving the sisters from further despair.
8. One of many traditional Polish beliefs is related to an animal we do not appreciate much ? the spider. According to the legend, this insect wove the first blanket for Jesus ? therefore seeing it around Christmas is a sign of prosperity.
9. The song ?White Christmas? by Irving Berlin is the bestselling single of all times.
10. To visit all the children on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus would have to reach an astounding acceleration of 20.5 billion meters per second.

You can use some of those bits during your dinner conversations. You will surely surprise your loved ones!

The eCORRECTOR team would like to use this opportunity to wish you all Merry Christmas and a happy New Year…and, who knows, maybe something special from us underneath the tree?