It was at one time considered bad luck to give a pair of scissors or a knife as a gift because it was feared that the act would “cut” the friendship in half. Therefore, knives were especially never given as wedding gifts, as it was believed they would lead to a broken marriage.
Also, never give anyone a pair of shoes as a Christmas gift because they would make the person you give them to walk away from you. When you give someone a gift of a wallet or purse, be sure to put some money into it, even if only a coin, to ward off bad luck. At one time, bakers would throw in an extra roll when you bought a dozen as a “gift” in case any of the other rolls were too small. This “gift” became known as the baker’s dozen.
The myth that coca cola company was who came up with Santa’s costume and style:
Haddon Sundblom drew his first Santa portrait for Coca-Cola in 1931… which popularized an existing image of Claus. In 1804, the New York Historical Society was founded with Nicholas as its patron saint, reviving the Dutch tradition of St. Nicholas as a bringer of gifts. In 1809, Washington Irving published his satirical A History of New York, by one “Diedrich Knickerbocker,” poking fun at New York’s Dutch past, St. Nicholas included… in Dutch, “Sinterklaas”. Irving revised his History of New York in 1812, adding details about Nicholas’ “riding over the tops of the trees, in that selfsame waggon wherein he brings his yearly presents to children.” In 1821,William Gilley wrote a poem about a “Santeclaus” who dressed all in fur and drove a sleigh pulled by one reindeer. On Christmas Eve of 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, wrote down and read to his children a series of verses; his poem was published a year later as “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” …more commonly known today by its opening line, “‘Twas the night before Christmas . . .
Two of Santa’s reindeer were named Donner and Blitzen…
In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote down in his “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” …more commonly known today by its opening line, “‘Twas the night before Christmas . . And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name. “Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now, dash away! dash away! dash away all! ” The song about Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer first made the mistake in Donder’s and Vixen’s names!
The myth that a man dressed as Santa Claus gets stuck in a chimney and dies:
This story has been around for almost as long as the Santa Claus legend itself. It is a variation of the motif of juxtaposing an otherwise happy occasion with a senseless tragedy. Note Ella Fitzgerald’s “Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney,” Jimmy Boyd’s “Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney,” and Gisele MacKenzie’s “Too Fat for the Chimney.” I also did a whole post to this particular myth.
The myth that poinsettia plants are poisonous to humans :
The poinsettia poison myth had its origin when a young child of an Army officer in Hawaii died of poisoning, incorrectly assumed to be a poinsettia leaf. A 50 lb. child would have to eat more than 1.25 lbs. or 500 – 600 leaves , according to the POISINDEX Information Service. Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants lists the symptoms of eating Poinsetta as vomiting as a side effect of ingesting otherwise harmless poinsettia leaves. They are however poisonous to animals so please keep them out of the reach of your pets.
