Kids look forwards to Christmas every year. There is something special about Christmas which makes them eagerly wait for the whole year. After all, it is that time of the year when they get gifts from Santa Claus.

But Christmas is not only about gifts. To get them into the true Christmas spirit, here are some amazing facts about Christmas that Montessori teachers share with their students.

1. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. This is an annual Christian holiday. The day of the 25th of December was chosen by the Roman Catholic church after the death of Christ. This is celebrated by Christians all over the world.
2. The origin of the Christmas tree can be dated back to ancient Egyptians and Romans. They used to use Evergreen trees like pine or fir and decorate them with wreaths and garlands. The use of modern Christmas trees started in the 16th century in Germany. They decorated their trees with fruits and nuts instead of the glitzy decorations that we see today.
3. According to the Torrance, CA playschool teachers, Santa Claus, is perhaps the best-known figure of Christmas to children. Santa Claus is associated with gifts and receiving them. The character is based on Saint Nicholas. As the legend says, Saint Nicholas was a Christian Bishop who always helped the poor and needy. He also loved children and provided them gift secretly. He was affectionately called Sinterklaas in Dutch which later became Santa Claus.
4. The word X-mass is also used to denote Christmas. The use of this term can be dated back to the 16th century. The X in X-mass comes from the Greek language where the name of Christ begins with the letter X.
5. The red color dress of Santa Claus is due to the company Coca Cola. Initially, Santa Claus wore a dress made of bright colors like green, purple or blue besides red. However, when Coca-Cola started using the red color dress of Santa Claus in their advertisement in the 1930s, it's sort of got stuck with the general public.
6. The act of giving gifts on Christmas Is also associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. According to Christmas tradition, the three wise men call Magi followed the star of Bethlehem to Jerusalem when Jesus Christ was born. They bought gold frankincense and essential oils with them as a gift for baby Jesus.
7. The singing of carols from door to door is based on the tradition of the English custom of wassailing. It is a tradition of toasting to someone's good health and fortune. St Francis of Assisi Who was fond of this tradition converted into the modern form of caroling.
8. Montessori-going kids love eating cakes and no Christmas is complete without the Christmas cake which we all love eating. These cakes that we eat during Christmas are known as plum cakes. But the interesting fact of this cake is that no actual plums are used as ingredients to bake them. Instead, raisins are used. In medieval periods raisins were known as plums. Hence the cake used to be known as plum cake. To date, this has not changed.