DID YOU KNOW?: Today is Christmas Eve. In honor of the holiday, we are sharing fun Christmas facts, found on the internet.

First of all, do you know the first Christmas song to be played in space?

It was…. Jingle Bells. In fact, Jingle Bells was the first song, period, to be played in space. NASA’s Gemini 6A flight earned the spot in history by cranking up the holiday tune on Dec. 16, 1965.

If you wonder why we hang stockings from the mantel, it seems the tradition began with a legend where a poor widower, concerned about marrying off his three daughters, got a bit of help from Saint Nicholas. The jolly old elf came down the chimney and filled the girls’ stockings (not the pretty ones we use today but the kind associated with dresses and, typically, holes) with gold coins as they hung by the fire to dry.

Don’t forget to track Santa this year with The North American Aerospace Defense Command, aka NORAD. NORAD has been tracking the fat man, reindeer and sleigh since 1955. In an interesting aside, the reason that NORAD began its efforts was because a child tried to call Santa and ended up calling the unlisted phone number of the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado instead. The commander on duty, Colonel Harry Shoup was the commander on duty and took the rare opportunity to provide one child with Christmas magic. From there, the idea to track Santa’s travels each year to the delight of children all over the world grew into today’s fun updates.

Check out NORAD’s Facebook page today for updates.

Merry Christmas to all…