Real life Christmas legends, You may have started questioning Santa’s existence when you were old enough to wonder how an old, obviously out-of-shape man can hustle around the globe in just one night. But old St. Nick’s ambitious ride isn’t the only mystery of the holiday season. Wondering where reindeer live in the offseason and who helps the elves make all those toys? Click through to discover the real-life answers.

Letters to Santa

When kiddies mail wish lists addressed to “Santa Claus, North Pole” in big block letters, the envelopes find their way to an actual northern town where each note has been answered by local volunteers since 1952. The town is some 1,750 miles south of the geographic North Pole , but it does share something with that spot .


Eight tiny reindeer

In Australia, the song “Six White Boomers”describes Santa’s sleigh being pulled by giant kangaroos. In other parts of the world, the jolly old elf rides a broomstick, a donkey or a goat. But we think Santa made a wise choice when he called on Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen to pull his sleigh, based on the creatures’ habitat. See photos of actual reindeer.


A workshop full of toys

There are only so many toys that can be produced by a workshop full of elves every year — they’ve got to outsource some of that work. And while the US regularly duels with this Asian nation for top manufacturing country in the world, this country has pulled way ahead when it comes to toy production. You'll probably recognize this label.


A life-size nutcracker

You could say that Jürgen Löschner is totally nuts for nutcrackers. The Guinness record holder for building the world’s largest nutcracker — nearly 20 feet tall and big enough to crack coconuts — also runs a nutcracker museum that houses approximately 3,000 nutcrackers from 30 different countries.

Cookies for Santa

Santa didn’t get his belly to shake "like a bowl full of jelly" by snacking on hummus and carrots — the veggies are for the reindeer. No, Santa expects plates of cookies and a glass of milk for his overnight adventures, and we have this country to thank for the tradition .

Kissing under the mistletoe

Stealing a kiss under the mistletoe may not be as risqué as it once was, but it’s still a time-honored tradition .. And while you may have seen mistletoe growing in your neighbor’s yard (it’s a parasitic plant that thrives in the branches of certain trees), the kissing kind that you buy in baggies at your local store likely comes from this part of the US.


The baby Jesus' birthplace

The New Testament— and Nativity scenes— have us believing that Jesus was born in Bethlehem , in a manger surrounded by donkeys and sheep and his impoverished parents who just wanted a room at the inn. But historians have reason to believe this may be a common misconception, and that Jesus was really born in this other Israeli city.


A traditional Christmas feast

In the US, Christmas feasting generally includes a turkey, a ham, or perhaps a festive turducken . But in this country, Christmas Eve dinner is celebrated with seven different seafood dishes (or more, depending on how many relatives you’re expecting) in a traditional meal referred to as the Feast of the Seven Fishes .

A real-life Santa

The larger-than-life legend of Santa Claus started with the life of one compassionate man: St. Nicholas , which is also the name that the Christmas gift-bringer still uses in some parts of the world.

Gift buying around the world

You may think that the United States leads the world in Christmas spending — what with all the fights (watch clips) that break out every year over the hot new toy or gadget — but according to a study last year published by the Economist, we’re actually second to this ultra-tiny European nation.