The holiday season has arrived, and millions of people across the globe will be celebrating Christmas with their family and friends.

Following are some interesting tidbits to share with your loved ones this holiday season.

• Each year, more than three billion Christmas cards are sent in the U.S. alone.
• Christmas carols began as an English custom called “wassailing.” Individuals toasted neighbors to a long and healthy life.
• Santa has his own official postal code — H0 H0 H0.
• “Jingle Bells” was originally written for Thanksgiving not Christmas. People loved it so much the lyrics were changed to fit Christmas.
• Christmas was not declared an official holiday in the U.S. until June 26, 1807.
• Christmas trees typically grow 15 years before they’re cut and sold. This means the trees sold today were likely planted in 1999.
• Before turkey, the traditional Christmas meal served in England was a pig’s head and mustard. Yummy!
• Many people may be less inclined to stand under mistletoe waiting for a kiss if they knew what “mistletoe” means in the ancient Germanic language. It literally means
  “dung on a twig,” for the bird who eats the berries and leaves seeds in droppings to propagate new plants.
• The costs of items in the song, “The 12 Days of Christmas,” went from $12,673 in 1984 to more than $24,000 in 2011.