Here's a look at what you need to know
about Christmas, a popular Christian holiday
celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. In 2014,
December 25th falls on a Thursday.

Facts:
Celebrated December 25th in the United States
and other countries.

Christmas is celebrated on January 7 in some
Eastern Orthodox countries, such as Russia.

The real date of Jesus' birth is not known.

The Christmas story is told primarily in the
Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew in the
New Testament.

Considered the most popular Christian
observance, Christmas is also celebrated as a
secular family holiday.

The word Christmas is derived from the Old
English phrase Cristes maesse (Christ's mass).

The tradition of substituting X-mas for Christmas
has its origins in the early Christian church. The
first letter of Jesus Christ's name is X in the
Greek language.

Many of the customs and symbols traditionally
associated with Christmas originated with ancient
pagan festivals and winter solstice rituals.

The modern Christmas tree (typically evergreen
conifers-usually pine, balsam or fir species)
originated in Germany in the 16th century and
became popular in England by the mid-19th
century thanks to Queen Victoria's German
husband, Prince Albert.

St. Nicholas, the real person on whom Santa
Claus is based, lived in the 4th century AD in the
province of Lycia on the southwest coast of Asia
Minor.

Cartoonist Thomas Nast is credited with creating
the current image of Santa Claus based on his
illustrations that began appearing in Harpers
Weekly in 1863.

Economic Impact:
Expected holiday spending for November and
December 2014 is $602.1 billion, according to the
National Retail Federation, an increase of 4.1%
over 2013. The federation notes that spenders are
more sophisticated shoppers. They are taking
advantage of an improved economy by shopping
earlier and smarter.

The United States Post Office is anticipating 450
to 470 million packages this holiday season. That
i s 12 percent more packages than the previous
year. Online shopping is cited as one reason for
the increase.

December 17 and December 18 are expected to be
the busiest days for mail and package deliveries
respectively, according to the United States Post
Office.

Merry Xmas to u all. love u all