6 things you didn't know about Christmas

Christmas is right around the corner but have you ever stopped to wonder how our favorite traditions started? Here are some facts you should know: James Pierpont's 1857 song Jingle Bells was first called One Horse Open Sleigh and was written for Thanksgiving. Santa has different names around the world - Kriss Kringle in Germany, Le Befana in Italy, Pere Noel in France, and Deushka Moroz in Russia. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938. Hanging stockings comes from the Dutch custom of leaving shoes packed with food for St. Nicholas’s donkeys. He would leave small gifts in return. Before turkey became the traditional meal at Christmas, people used to eat a pig’s head with mustard. Many parts of the Christmas tree can actually be eaten, as the needles are a good source of Vitamin C.