Since it's so close to Christmas, here are Ten Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Christmas

1) Christmas supposedly marks the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25. However, there is no mention of December 25th in the Bible and most historians actually believe he was born in the spring. December 25th was probably chosen because it coincided with the ancient pagan festival Saturnalia, which celebrated the agricultural god Saturn with partying, gambling, and gift-giving.

2) The Christmas tree arrived in America in the 1830s but wasn’t popular until 1846, after Prince Albert brought it to England when he married Queen Victoria. The two were sketched in front of a Christmas tree and the tradition instantly became popular.

3) Because of its roots in pagan festivals, Christmas was not immediately accepted by the religious. In fact, from 1659 to 1681, it was illegal to celebrate Christmas in Boston. You were fined if you were caught celebrating.

4) One of the reasons we leave milk and cookies for Santa is because Dutch children would leave food and drink for St. Nicholas on his feast day, which was December 6th.

5) Though Santa Claus has worn blue and white and green in the past, his traditional red suit supposedly came from a 1930s ad by Coca Cola.

6) Rudolph was actually conceived by a department store, Montgomery Ward, as a marketing gimmick to get kids to buy holiday coloring books.

7) The first batch of eggnog in America was crafted at Captain John Smith’s 'Jameston' settlement in 1607, and the name eggnog comes from the word “grog,” which refers to any drink made with rum.

8) Silent Night is the most recorded Christmas song in history, with over 733 different versions copyrighted since 1978.

9) Jingle Bells was originally supposed to be a Thanksgiving song, and was titled The One Horse Open Sleigh. 

10) The Grinch not only stole Christmas, he also stole the box office. The highest-grossing Christmas movie of all time is How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey!