We are almost at the big day, so why not get into the Christmas spirit with some interesting Christmas facts!

1. Jingle Bells was the first song played in space

It’s a favourite song for many people, but did you know that Jingle Bells has a special accolade? In 1965, it became the first song to be played in space. That’s right, not just the first Christmas song… but the first song ever! During the Gemini 6A space flight, it was broadcasted as a prank from the astronauts to those down below.

Alongside this, did you know that Jingle Bells was originally a song written for the American holiday of Thanksgiving and not Christmas? Its original title was “The One Horse Open Sleigh”

2. The word “Xmas” is not new

Given our love of shortening letters, you may assume that the word “Xmas” is a recent invention. But this spelling dates back to the 1500s! You might be wondering how this happened, and the explanation is both simple…and genius!

In the Greek alphabet, the letter X is the Greek character of “chi’, which is the first letter of the Greek name for Christ Χριστός (Christos). As such, the letter X has been a common abbreviation for Christ. The “mas” of Christmas is from a Church service, so when you put the two together, you get Xmas, which quite literally means “Christmas’! So there’s no need to worry when you use the word; it’s older than many of our favourite Christmas traditions!

3. The meaning behind kissing under the mistletoe

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe started in ancient Greece, during the festival of Saturnalia and later in marriage ceremonies, because of the plant’s association with fertility. Ancient Greeks considered the mistletoe an aphrodisiac, which is propably why kissing under the mistletoe will bring you luck in your love life.