Think you know everything there is to know about Christmas in Canada?

It’s really difficult not to feel amped up right now. This is really a magical time of year for everyone. People are more courteous, patient and even a little giddy. Hey, even the most stoic, grumpiest people grin a little wider and surprise us with their kind words.

Many of us find ourselves consumed with all things Christmas this time of year so it shouldn’t shock you that this week’s blog is holiday-themed.

Here are some interesting Canadian holiday facts.

1. All-American with a lot of Canadian thrown in.
Did you ever see the movie, A Christmas Story? The producers themselves describe this story as, “A tribute to the original, traditional, 100% red-blooded, two fisted, All American” tale about a boy named Ralphie whose life would be complete if only Santa would bring him a Red Rider BB gun. All-American eh? Several scenes – both indoor and outdoor – were shot here in Canada!

2. If you really love the Prime Minister, don’t send him anything!
Seems natural to want to send your Prime Minister a small token of appreciation. Save it – send it to a charitable organization or give it to an officemate. Between the passage of the Federal Accountability Act of 1986 and the strict security at 24 Sussex Drive, it is unlawful to send presents to PM Harper and his family.

3. And you thought your Christmas budget was high!
I would have thought based on the long queues at shopping malls that Ontarians spent the most on holiday gift giving. Survey says? Albertans spend the most – an average of $967 each year.

4. If it weren’t for Canadian volunteers, Santa would have a tough time doing his job.
Santa’s post office receives somewhere north of 20 million letters from children from every corner of the globe. It would be impossible for Santa’s 200 elves to process all those letters and make toys for all the kids around the world. What’s the head of the North Pole to do? Not to fear, the Canadians are here! Canadian post workers volunteer as many as 200,000 hours of their time to make sure all those letters get pushed through so Santa and his elves can do their job!

5. Shop till you drink?
Two favourite pastimes of Canadians – shopping for Christmas gifts and imbibing! Last year we spent over $3.2 billion on gifts our and leftover money went to drinking $1.6 billion in holiday cheer!

6. Egg Nog: Even more popular than a green apple martini.
This really surprised me. It seems we can’t get enough of this eggy, creamy beverage. Some 5.8 million litres were consumed last year.

7. Few things say Christmas quite like trimming a tree.
Would you have thought that one in seven Canadians have Christmas trees in their homes? Each year 5.5 million trees are harvested for our trimming pleasure. But what’s even more interesting is that 2.25 million trees get shipped to as many as 25 countries where pine trees don’t grow.

8. Rudolph was American, right?
If you can’t get enough of Christmas shows on the telly, you’ve probably seen (over and over and over again) the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Although produced by an American company, all the characters (Sam the Snowman is the lone exception) were voiced by Canadians!

9. Canadians love to gobble gobble!
Apparently 5.5 million homes ate turkey on Christmas day last year. I wonder how many turkey sandwiches were eaten in the days that followed? Now that would be something to calculate!

10. When we’re not shopping and imbibing, we’re taking in a performance of the Nutcracker.
Expecting me to tell you how many performances have been viewed of the Nutcracker? How about some stranger trivia? Did you know that between 1995 and 2011, the ballerinas of the National Ballet of Canada have used 5,548 pairs of pointe shoes just on performances of the Nutcracker?

11. Some Canadians can’t get enough of Christmas.
Most of us celebrate this joyous day only once a year. However, it’s difficult to get away from Christmas if you live on Christmas Island or Noel in Nova Scotia, in Sled Lake in Saskatchewan, Reindeer Station in the Northwest Territories, Turkey Point or Holly in Ontario, or Snowflake in Manitoba.

Have any trivia of your own you would like to share?

Until next time,

Peace, love and vitamin C!