As Christmas approaches, so do stories that make the season magical. But while many holiday tales are heartwarming, others can be misleading. Fact-checking organizations worldwide work tirelessly to ensure that misinformation to ensure we get critical and credible information about a range of topics.
Their commitment to truth inspired the Factiverse mission of protecting other organizations and individuals from harmful effects of misinformation.
So to celebrate we’ve compiled ten of the most memorable Christmas-related fact-checks. From Christmas tree care tips to origins of famous christmas songs, these fact-checks cover various topics that have sparked debate, curiosity and also misinformation.
Christmas fact-checks from Fact-checking organizations
1. Snopes
Half True: Hydrating Christmas trees with hot water keeps them looking nice for longer.
Summary: Industry experts and academics in the field of Christmas tree handling differ in opinions about whether the temperature of water used to water a Christmas tree makes a difference to its longevity. However, it is generally agreed that continued access to water at any temperature is important for the health of a harvested tree.
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2. Snopes
True: Jingle Bells was originally a Thanksgiving carol.
Summary: "Jingle Bells," written by James Pierpont and first copyrighted as "One Horse Open Sleigh" in 1857, was not originally intended as a Christmas song. The song, inspired by winter sleigh rides, contains no references to Christmas and was possibly written for a Thanksgiving Sunday school program, though some argue its playful themes of courting were unsuitable for church. Its origins are disputed, with Medford, Massachusetts, claiming it was written at Simpson Tavern in 1850, while Savannah, Georgia, asserts Pierpont wrote it there during his first snowless winter. Despite its ambiguous history, "Jingle Bells" became a holiday classic after Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters' 1943 recording, solidifying its place in Christmas tradition.
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3. Snopes
True: Orthodox Christians Celebrate Christmas in January
Summary: While most people have wrapped up their Christmas celebrations by January, for some Christians, the festivities are just beginning. A significant portion of Orthodox Christians observe Christmas in early January.This difference in observance dates traces back to the 16th century and the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. Adopted by Pope Gregory XIII, the Gregorian calendar corrected discrepancies in the previous calendar system, which had fallen out of alignment with the Earth's rotation around the sun. As a result, some Christian communities continued to follow the older Julian calendar, leading to the differing Christmas celebration dates seen today.
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More christmas fact-checks
4. Snopes
False: An "evil Santa" appeared on YouTube Kids telling children to harm themselves or others in order to receive more presents.
Summary: There is no visual evidence, such as screenshots or copies of the alleged "evil Santa" video, to support this claim. Furthermore, no other reports have surfaced about children encountering an "evil Santa" on YouTube Kids. YouTube stated, "We’ve not received evidence of there being videos on YouTube Kids showing or promoting the content described in the post." The platform also emphasizes that it provides parents with free tools to customize their child's experience and control what content their child can access.
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5. Snopes
True: Operation Santa, a century-old U.S. Postal Service initiative, responds to letters from those in need during the holidays, and helps families get gifts on their wish lists.
Summary: The U.S. Postal Service’s Operation Santa, established in 1912, connects families in need with those willing to fulfill their holiday wish lists. Families submit letters addressed to "Santa Claus, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888," which are then uploaded to USPSOperationSanta.com. The public can "adopt" letters and fulfill the requests. To participate, letters must be postmarked by December 10, include a first-class mail stamp, and have a return address. The program began when Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized postmasters to let postal employees and customers respond to children's letters to Santa, creating a tradition that has since supported hundreds of thousands of families nationwide.
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6. Lead Stories
False: Babies born in December extra special according to science.
Summary: There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that December babies are "extra special." This idea originated from a mother of a December-born child. One popular story lists six reasons why December babies are the best, but an analysis of the "science" behind these claims reveals that, while December babies are undoubtedly special, they are not uniquely so compared to babies born in other months.
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Festive fact-checks
7. PolitiFact
False: At Christmas women used to apologize to their husbands for all the mistakes they made during the year and beg for forgiveness
Summary: A viral Facebook post claims that an old Christmas tradition involved women apologizing to their husbands and begging for forgiveness. The post features a black-and-white photo of women kneeling before men, but there is no historical evidence to support this claim. The image, which has circulated online for years, has been linked to various unrelated captions, including references to a Russian "white dance" festival where women invite men to dance. Experts, including folklore professor Jim Leary, found no record of such a one-sided forgiveness tradition. The image also contains a watermark for a humor page, suggesting it was intended as a joke.
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8. Snopes
Half-true: Praying mantis eggs are commonly found on Christmas trees.
Summary: Praying mantis egg cases have been found on occasion on Christmas trees. However, this is not as common of a problem as people might believe. Christmas tree farms take precautions to prevent "harmless hitchhikers." By one estimate, only 1 in 100,000 Christmas trees has a post-harvest pest.
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End of year fact-checks
9. PolitiFact
True: Christmas trees are grown in all 50 States.
Summary: While Oregon leads the nation in Christmas tree production, the claim that Christmas trees grow in all 50 states is technically true, though not all states have commercial tree farms. Alaska, North Dakota, and Wyoming lack significant farming operations, and in places like Arizona, many trees are imported from states like Oregon. However, people in these regions can still obtain locally grown trees by cutting them from forests with permits. Although the resolution highlights commercial farms, it ultimately honors the fact that Christmas trees can grow in every state, bringing joy to families across the country.
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10. Snopes
True: NORAD annually tracks Santa's progress because a child trying to reach Santa via a newspaper advertisement called the wrong phone number.
Summary: The annual NORAD Santa-tracking tradition, which began in 1955, originated by accident when a Sears department store advertisement encouraging children to call Santa featured a misprinted phone number. Instead of reaching St. Nick, a child’s call was routed to Colonel Harry Shoup at the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), NORAD's predecessor. Rather than dismissing the call, Shoup and his team played along, providing updates on Santa's location. This act of kindness sparked a beloved annual tradition where NORAD now tracks Santa’s journey each Christmas Eve, engaging thousands of volunteers to share updates with families worldwide. While some details of the story have been debated, the core narrative remains consistent and widely celebrated.
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