10 Fun Holiday Facts.

We at B. are always keen to discover something new, no matter the season! And given that festive celebrations are right around the corner, we wanted to round out 2021 by sharing a few fun holiday facts with you.

1. Jingle Bells was the first ever song performed in space! Astronauts Wally Schira and Thomas P. Stafford played this classic holiday tune after jokingly “sighting” Santa Claus in space.

2. The oldest Christmas market in the world dates back to the 1400s! Dresden’s Striezelmarkt in Germany is considered as the first real Christmas market – and it still operates today!

3. Every year around the holidays, the Swedish town of Gävle gets a new visitor: a GIANT goat made of straw! The most recent one stood at 42 feet tall – that’s like two giraffes stacked on top of each other!

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4. Kiddos (and grown-ups) can actually send letters to Santa! Why, you ask? He’s got a postal code, courtesy of Canada Post. It’s H0H 0H0 and yes, you are likely to get a response, in case you’re wondering.

5. We know him as Santa Claus, but in France he’s known as Père Noël, in Italy he’s called Babbo Natale, in Russia his name is Ded Moroz, and in Hungary people call him Mikulas. Wow!

6. Hanukkah lasts 8 whole days! Each day, one of the candles on a Menorah (a candelabra with 9 candles) is lit and the central one, which sits a little higher, illuminates the rest.

7. Many Hanukkah dishes are fried! These include latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (doughnuts), and kugel (egg noodle casserole).

8. Kwanzaa was created by professor Maulana Karenga in 1966 to celebrate African-American culture. It’s spelled with 7 letters… and lasts 7 days!

9. Kwanzaa is also defined by 7 principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

10. Diwali marks the start of the Hindu New Year and it means “row of lights,” which is fitting because this holiday is known for colorful fireworks!