Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was almost named Reginald.

A copywriter named Robert L. May first invented the oddball reindeer in 1939 as a marketing gimmick for Montgomery Ward’s holiday coloring books. (May considered naming the beloved misfit Reginald and Rollo.) And his nose wasn’t originally going to be red: A red nose was viewed as a sign of sign of chronic alcoholism, and Montgomery Ward didn’t want him to seem like a drunkard. Good thing they changed it. “Reginald, the blue-nosed reindeer” doesn’t have quite the same ring … or charm.

Source

JAMES Pierpont’s 1857 song Jingle Bells was first called One Horse Open Sleigh and was written for Thanksgiving.

Source

The poinsettia, a traditional Christmas flower, originally grew in Mexico, where it is also known as the ‘Flower of the Holy Night’. Joel Poinsett first brought it to America in 1829.

Source

America’s first batch of eggnog was made in the Jamestown settlement in 1607. Its name comes from the word “grog”, meaning any drink made with rum. Non-alcoholic eggnog is popular as well.

Source

Legend has it that Santa’s red suit was created by Coca Cola in the 1930’s.

Source

The old English custom of wassailing was to toast to someone’s long life at Christmastide and was the forerunner for the tradition of Christmas caroling. In the 13th century St. Francis of Assisi began the custom of singing carols in church.

Source

The image of Santa Claus flying his sleigh began in 1819 and was created by Washington Irving, the same author who dreamt up the Headless Horseman.

Source