The word “Christmas” comes from an old English phrase that means “Mass of Christ.”
December 26 was traditionally known as St. Stephen’s Day, but is more commonly known as Boxing Day. There are a number of different reasons why it is called this. The one I like best is that money was collected in alms boxes placed in churches during the festive season. This money was then distributed to the poor and needy after Christmas.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 by a 34-year-old copywriter named Robert L. May, who came up with a poem about a misfit reindeer at the request of his employer for a Christmas story they could use as a store promotional gimmick.
The Rudolph phenomenon really took off, when May’s brother-in law, songwriter Johnny Marks, developed the lyrics and melody for a Rudolph song. Marks’ musical version of “Rudolph”, recorded by Gene Autry in 1949, sold two million copies that year and went on to become one of the bestselling songs of all time, second only to “White Christmas.”
