The world is a fascinating place, isn't it? And, frankly, so is the Internet. You just never know what you'll find and what you'll learn.
Just today, we discovered a whole bunch of stuff about the Christmas holidays we thought was worth sharing. So, we're gonna. Share, we mean.
In fact, we'll share some fun and interesting stuff every week, cause, really, you can never know enough fun and interesting stuff (how will you ever win Trivial Pursuit or charm your way through a holiday party without us?).
Behold, then, our inaugural post: "Did You Know - Holiday Edition."
Did you know...
1. The Guinness World Record for holiday lights was just set (for the second time) by an Australian family that has a whopping 502,165 bulbs on their property. They start putting up decorations in October. And you felt bad for stringing lights before Thanksgiving.
2. Don't try this at home... if you're trying to sell over the holidays. While conventional wisdom no longer considers it a long shot to sell your home during the winter months, you still have to make sure your home looks its best - now more than ever. This is no time to try to outdo the Griswolds.
3. In fact, holiday décor can help sell a home, said Allstate. "With the right touch, holiday decorations can create an emotional attraction for a buyer to your home. But, adds Front Door, it's smart to "avoid offending buyers by opting for general fall and winter decorations rather than items with religious themes."
4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has something in common with the Energizer Bunny - both started "as an advertising gimmick." Rudolph was created to lure shoppers into the Montgomery Ward department store, said TIME. Same with Frosty the Snowman, for that matter, although he was a "chain-smoking snowman" used post-Prohibition to promote beer and alcohol. Aww, Frosty. We hardly knew thee.
5. In the year 1900, a single string of electric Christmas lights cost $12, said Gizmodo. That's the equivalent today of $300. Imagine what the bill would have been on their Guinness World record.
6. The 1965 broadcast of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' "is credited with ending the era of the aluminum Christmas tree," said Wikipedia. It's also credited with starting the Charlie Brown's teacher "Wahhh wahhh wahhh" dialect.
7. The parody holiday of Festivus, part of a Seinfeld episode in 1997, has been adopted by many homes as a secular holiday. Festivus pole not typically included.
8. Alabama was the first U.S. state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday in 1836. Oklahoma pulled up the rear, in 1907.
9. You can calculate the cost of your electricity prior to adorning your front lawn with inflatable holiday décor. Might make you rethink that 10-foot blowup Grinch.
10. There are 364 gifts in the popular holiday carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas. And it would cost $27,393 to buy them all.
