By James FitzPatrick
Contributing Writer
Because Christmas has been so ingrained into our popular culture for so long, there is an endless array of subtopics, rabbit holes, and trivia questions one could explore surrounding the holiday. Here are just a few fun factoids to be filed under the category, did you know…? Put these in your pocket for the next time you go out to trivia night.
The Rockettes’ 90-year Tradition
The annual Rockettes high-kicking Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York City has been a holiday season tradition since 1933. There are 80 Rockettes at any given time with separate casts for the morning and afternoon shows (36 and 36). Dancers kick up to 160 times in a day and go through 11 costume changes in a single 90-minute performance. Since its debut, the spectacular has always included two famous numbers: “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” and the “Living Nativity.” Over the years more than 3,000 dancers have performed in the show.
Trees by the Millions
Christmas tree growing is a nationwide business with 350,000 acres planted and Christmas trees growing in all 50 states, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Each year between 25 and 30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States with 350 million growing in any given time, all planted by farmers. For every tree harvested, three seedlings are planted. With 15,000 tree farms in the business, tree growing employs more than 100,000 people. The average Christmas tree grows to be between 6 and 7 feet tall in a process that takes process about 15 years.
First Christmas Stamp
The first official Christmas stamp was a 4-cent stamp issued in 1962 by the U.S. Post Office Department in Pittsburgh in response to public demand. The design featured two candles on the left and a green wreath with a red bow on the right. “Christmas 1962” was at the bottom. A total of 1 billion were printed after an initial printing of 350 million proved insufficient to meet demand. An attempt to block the stamp over issues of separation of church and state was unsuccessful.
12 Days of Inflation
If your true love wanted to give you all of the gifts from “The 12 Days of Christmas,” it would cost an estimated $46,729.86, according to the 40th Annual PNC Bank Christmas Price Index. This year‘s number is 2.7 percent higher than in 2022 when it was $45,523.27, mostly due to rising labor costs, according to PNC. So if you want to give your sweetheart 12 drummers drumming, it will cost you $3,468.02. If you bought the 12 gifts in 1984, it would have cost you just $20,069.58 for all 12.
The Christmas Truce
For a little less than two days starting on Christmas Eve, 1914, World War I took a pause. On Dec. 24-25, there was a temporary halt in the fighting between the Germans and the British along 30 miles of the western front. It began when the Germans were heard singing Christmas carols at night. Soon both sides shouted messages across the line. The next day gifts were exchanged and even soccer was played in the gap between the two sides known as no man’s land. But it didn’t last because it was not officially sanctioned. The commanders on both sides put an end to it fearing that the soldiers would lose their fighting spirit. The spontaneous moment of peace lasted less than two days.
That’s 12 Billion With a B
Short of Santa Claus, no one is more busy during this time of the year than your local post office. In 2022 the U.S. Postal Service delivered nearly 12 billion packages and pieces of mail during the holiday season and the numbers are expected to grow in 2023. To keep up, USPS has hired 10,000 seasonal employees to make sure that this year‘s packages get there on time. Amazon said they would hire 100,000.
Clear For Takeoff
According to Airlines for America (A4A), an industry advocacy organization, an estimated 39 million passengers will be flying Dec. 30 – Jan. 2, 16 percent more than last year. Thursday and Friday, Dec. 21 and 22, are expected to be the busiest air travel days, with 3 million per day, and 2.8 million per day on average Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Friday, Dec. 29. Nearly 1.1 million travelers are expected to use Philadelphia International Airport between Dec. 21, and Jan. 3, an increase of almost 14 percent over 2022 levels. The Transportation Security Administration suggests that travelers arrive at least two hours before their scheduled flight departure time because of the expected large numbers of travelers.
And the Favorite Cookie is…
A recent Monmouth University Poll found that frosted sugar cookies are the favorite holiday cookie variety of those who have a favorite. The question was: “Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie (or favorite cookie for the holiday?). Those who answered yes, about 51 percent, were asked to say what their favorite is. They were not given a list to choose from. The winner was sugar frosted at 32 percent, followed by gingerbread at 12 percent. Surprisingly, chocolate chip came in third at 11 percent.
Not All Christmas Lights Come from China
The Census Bureau reminds us that most of the Christmas decorations we buy are made in China. In 2022 we spent $3.17 billion on decorations from China, which represented 89.8 percent of our Christmas decoration imports. While China rules over all Christmas decorations, the numbers for LED lights show that most of those came from Cambodia with 66 percent of our imports of tree lights or $374.6 million worth. Americans spend on average $269 per person on Christmas decorations each year, according to rockethomes.com.
Copy editor and Contributing Writer James FitzPatrick has been a community journalist in Atlantic and Cape May counties for more than 30 years, including 20 years as editor of The Current Newspapers. He lives in Hammonton.
