Don’t miss an episode—subscribe here! (Images and footage provided by our friends at Shutterstock. This transcript comes courtesy of Nerdfighteria Wiki.)

1. Hi, I’m Mike, this is mental_floss on YouTube, and did you know that in the ’50s the Catholic church condemned the song “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus?” So the record label flew the 13 year old Singer, Jimmy Boyd, out to Boston to meet with the archdiocese. Afterwards, they determined that the song was okay after all.

And that is the first of many facts about holiday songs that I’m gonna share with you today. Sorry, it’s gonna get pretty Christmas-y up in here, but don’t worry, we’ll be back to our secular ways soon enough.

2. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” and “Run, Rudolph, Run” were all written by the same man, Johnny Marks, who was Jewish.

3. “The Little Drummer Boy” was originally known as “The Carol of the Drums.” The von Trapp singers are credited with popularizing the song—yes, those von Trapps.

4. “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” from The Nutcracker, was written in 1891 for the celesta, an instrument that was invented only five years earlier. Oh hi Nutcracker! This is a great outfit. Where do you shop?

5. In 1906, “O Holy Night” became the second song to ever be broadcast on radio.

6. The singer of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” might sound old, but that is Brenda Lee—who was 13 years old at the time.

7. The first Christmas song to mention Santa Clause was “Up on the House Top” in 1864. These guys are slightly younger than that.

8. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” was written by two people with the most Christmas-y sounding names of all time: Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne. It is also, as it turns out, about the Cuban Missile Crisis. So next time you listen to “Do You Hear What I Hear?” just keep that in the back of your mind.

9. “Joy to the World” was originally a song about Christ’s resurrection and his second coming on Easter, not his birth.

10. And the popular New Year song, “Auld Lang Syne,” was never supposed to be associated with the holiday at all. One live band in New York coincidentally played it just after midnight on the radio, then it became a tradition. Not long after it also became a tradition to turn to someone next to you at the New Year’s party and say, “What does ‘Auld Lang Syne’ mean anyway, I don’t even know.”

11. The song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” mentions that there will be scary ghost stories, which doesn’t seem Christmas-y—but in fact it was a holiday tradition that started in Victorian England and has since died out. Spending all of that uninterrupted time with your family is scary enough so there’s no need for ghost stories. Just kidding, Mom and Dad, very excited to come home for Christmas.

12. Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft sang “You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch.” He was also the voice of Tony the Tiger for 50 years. Not going to make a grrr-eat joke.

13. During World War I, there was a Christmas Truce, in which the French, English, and German troops sang “Silent Night.”

14. On the other hand, the BBC would not play the song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” during World War II because they didn’t want to lower the morale of their troops.

15. Songwriter Meredith Wilson wrote “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” in addition to the University of Iowa fight song and The Music Man. That guy had range.

16.The group recording of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” brought a feud between Boy George and George Michael to popular consciousness. Of George Michael’s recording, Boy George said, “God, he sounded camp.” But then, he is.

17. George Michael actually wrote the Wham song “Last Christmas.” He also got sued for it because of its resemblance to the Barry Manilow song “Can’t Smile Without You.” It was settled out of court.

18. Irving Berlin, who wrote “White Christmas,” hated Elvis’s cover of his song. In the ’50s, he started a campaign to ban Presley’s version of the song from the radio, a process that proved akin to banning snow from falling.

19. And speaking of which, “Let It Snow” was written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne during a 1945 heat wave in California.

20. Another song that was written in the heat: “The Christmas Song,” also known as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.” Apparently songwriter Bob Wells was overheating, so he wrote a list of things that reminded him of cold weather. Chestnuts roasting, Jack Frost nipping, yuletide carols, et cetera. And then, it became the star of a song.

21. The residents of Armonk, New York believe that the song “Frosty the Snowman” was written about their town. They even hold an annual parade in honor of it.

22. “We Three Kings” was originally written in 1857 for a Christmas pageant at the General Theological Seminary in New York City. I imagine that’s a little bit different than the one that you would find in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

23. The original Yiddish version of “I Have a Little Dreidel,” the dreidel is made out of bley, which means lead. It was translated to clay.

24. “Deck the Halls” started as a dance tune, the lyric “follow me in a merry measure” means “join me in dance.”

25 “Silver Bells” was originally called “Tinkle Bells.” Then the song writer Ray Evans told his wife about it, who responded “Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word tinkle is?”

26. There are three, count them, three separate music videos for the Mariah Carey song “All I Want for Christmas is You,” and for some reason, I’m not surprised.

27. When “Winter Wonderland” was written in the ’30s, some people were offended by the bit about Parson Brown marrying people on a whim. The line was replaced with “In the meadow we can build a snowman, and pretend that he’s a circus clown.”

28. “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” was originally sung by Elmo Shropshire, a veterinarian, which I guess means that there’s some kind of professional expertise supporting the described results of when grandmas and reindeers collide.

29. Paul McCartney wrote, sang, and played every instrument for “Wonderful Christmastime.” He still earns between $400,000 and $600,000 every year in royalties for the song.

30. If you really received all of the gifts from “The 12 Days of Christmas,” there would be 364 presents total. Someone did the math in 2013, and determined that it would cost around $114,651.18.

31. Finally, I return to the salon to tell you that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written for the Judy Garland film Meet Me in St. Louis, originally it contained lines like “Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last, faithful friends who were dear to us will be near to us no more,” but Garland insisted that the songwriter change them, because she was supposed to sing it to a 7 year old and didn’t want to seem like, I quote, “A monster.”

Thanks for watching mental_floss on YouTube, which is made with the help of these nice people. My name is Mike Renetta, if you like my face, you can find more of it on YouTube at PBS Idea Channel, and if you like my voice, you can find it on my podcast, Reasonably Sound, links to those things in the Dooblydoo, and hey, DFTBA, and happy holidays!

Since Monopoly hit store shelves in 1935, it has been tweaked and reinvented countless times. From Pokemon to World War II, there is a variation for everyone. And now cat lovers can play a Monopoly-inspired game that’s completely dedicated to all things feline.

Cat-Opoly, an unofficially licensed board game by Late for the Sky, takes the Monopoly formula and adds a lot more whiskers. Instead of properties and railroads, players can buy cat breeds; instead of going to jail, there’s a water square; instead of a luxury tax, there’s fleas. All the chance cards come with cat facts on the back, so the game is both enjoyable and educational. You can grab a board for your family game night on Amazon. Just remember cats can’t hold game pieces—and they’re terrible cheaters anyway.

[h/t The Daily Dot]

Star Wars fans certainly have it better than they did back in 1977, when Kenner sold an empty box containing gift certificates for action figures they had underestimated the demand for. Today, there are so many options for Jedi-related gifts that it can be overwhelming. We’ve curated some of the newest, best options in the galaxy.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Thanks for helping us pay the bills!

1. MOMA DESIGN STORE R2-D2 3D MODEL KIT; $15 

It can be hard to balance Star Wars fandom with design aesthetics: A lot of the mythology’s characters might look out of place in a sparsely-decorated room. The Museum of Modern Art’s 2.75-inch tall R2-D2 glue-free model kit keeps it basic, offering a steel-sheet finish for those who prefer a more subtle form of droid worship. 

Find It: MoMA

2. AIR HOGS REMOTE CONTROL MILLENNIUM FALCON QUAD; $68

We’ll spare you the Kessel Run jokes: Just know that Air Hogs’ Falcon is one of the few toys based on a space fantasy vehicle that can mimic its onscreen counterpart by taking flight—thanks to four motored fans and a wireless remote that controls its direction. If it happens to get shot down by an enemy craft (or a dog) don’t sweat it: The light, foam-like material is impact-resistant.

Find It: Amazon 

3. INTERATECH IMPERIAL STORMTROOPER; $20

Your giftee can terrorize Jedis with this 13-inch Stormtrooper that boasts a surprisingly robust personality for an emotionless foot soldier. The Imperial grunt will make noises when locked in combat with other figures, shooting a blaster, or taking to the skies. A Hasbro app helps program a variety of sounds.

Find It: Walmart

4. STAR WARS: SECRETS OF THE GALAXY DELUXE BOX SET; $80

Guide to the galaxy: Help a loved up brush up on their Star Wars mythology with this illustrated collection from New York Times-bestselling author Daniel Wallace. The set features The Jedi Path, Book of Sith, The Bounty Hunter Code, and Imperial Handbook, all annotated by characters from the saga.

Find It: Amazon

5. STORMTROOPER WAFFLE MAKER; $40

There’s no reason a person’s love for Star Wars needs to lack nutrition. This waffle maker imprints an image of a foreboding Stormtrooper head on anything you put into it, including flour, brownie mixes, or sandwiches. The non-stick surface wipes clean with a damp cloth.

Find It: Amazon

6. BB-8 APP CONTROLLED ROBOT WITH FORCE BAND; $200

Sentient ball droid BB-8 was the breakout star of 2015 fim The Force Awakens, and he’s gotten an upgrade. The robot can be moved with the included wrist band that senses the direction of the wearer’s arm. Don’t have the band handy? You can still have him do your bidding with Sphero’s phone app.

Find It: Amazon

7. GEEK TIKIS; $15 EACH

These 14-ounce ceramic tiki mugs have been molded to resemble Boba Fett, R2-D2, Darth Vader, and several others—blending Star Wars with the craftsmanship expected from a fine tiki bar. The set of all 6 options is priced at $80.

Find It: ThinkGeek

8. LEGO STAR WARS KRENNIC’S IMPERIAL SHUTTLE; $76

Director Orson Krennic of the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story promises to be a rightful heir apparent to Grand Moff Tarkin. (Even though he’s technically occupying the same time frame—just go with it.) LEGO’s 863-piece play set shows off his space transport vehicle, complete with folding wings and a five-figure cockpit.

Find It: Amazon

9. STAR WARS SOCKS; $20 EACH

Did Darth Vader wear socks? The world may never know. But your favorite fan can wear Darth Vader on their socks thanks to Stance, which uses premium combed cotton to deliver a warm, comfortable fit.

Find It: Stance

10. NIXON WATCHES; $400 AND UP

Keep time in style with Nixon’s line of Star Wars-inspired watches. Available in Stormtrooper white, or Vader black, these timepieces are stainless steel and feature Imperial or Rebel logos on the face. The back features art and lines from the films.

Find It: Nixon

11. R2-D2 DOME PURSE; $60

R2 doesn’t always need to be smuggling information that could alter the fate of the galaxy. Sometimes you just need him to carry your e-reader. ThinkGeek’s faux-leather droid bag is durable, cavernous, and a great way to tote the rest of your Star Wars gift collection around.

Find It: ThinkGeek

Microwave Memories. In the early days of “microwave ovens,” the hype was way above reality.
*
Here’s what the apocalypse will look like, according to the movies. The future’s so bleak, I’d rather wear shades.
*
Scientists Find Signs of Intelligent Tool Use 300,000 Years Ago. People left their tools behind in a cave in Israel.
*
Watch historical photographs being brought to life with the addition of color. People of the past suddenly look much more real.
*
Here’s one plausible reason why Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 phones kept exploding. You cannot push performance beyond the limits of physics.
*
Mediocre Beasts and Where To Find Them. It’s Funny or Die’s parody of the JK Rowling movie.
*
George Takei Comments on Those Angry at Mall of America. There’s no valid reason why Santa Claus needs to be white.
*
6 Cats Who Made a Mark on the Silver Screen. As if a feline cares about fame and fortune.

For all you shoppers in search of the perfect nerdy stocking stuffer: look no further. As DesignTAXI reports, online novelty retailer ThinkGeek has created an officially licensed Back to the Future-inspired wall charger shaped like the flux capacitor from Dr. Emmett Brown’s time traveling DeLorean.

For the uninitiated, the flux capacitor is the key device that allows the car to journey across different eras. It’s crafted from three flashing tubes, and shaped like an inverted “Y.” True to the films, ThinkGeek’s charger— which can power two devices via USB cord—begins flashing once your phone hits 88 percent juice.

The charger costs $25 and is available for purchase online. And if you want to turn your car into a make-believe time machine, ThinkGeek is also selling the same design in USB car charger form. (It’s currently out of stock, so we’d go with the wall charger if you’re looking to get your Christmas shopping done early.)

[h/t DesignTaxi]

Japanese architect Yusuke Oono is known for his 360° books that bring images to life in 3D. Colossal recently highlighted his take on our solar system—a laser-cut portrait of our world called Earth and the Moon.

As you rotate the book to get a full look at the scope of the image, you’ll see clouds, stars, and even UFOs beaming up cows from the Earth. It fans out to stand on its own, or it can be flipped through like a traditional book.

It’s available from several different sellers for $29 and up.

[h/t Colossal]

All images courtesy the Colossal Shop

As the least visited continent in the world, Antarctica is an unknown, mysterious place to most people. Although there are dozens of scientific bases on the White Continent, you don’t have to be a scientist to travel to the remote land. Tens of thousands of tourists travel to Antarctica to see its breathtaking views and wildlife. Read on for just a few of the adventures you can have in Antarctica.

1. RUN IN THE ANTARCTIC ICE MARATHON.

Each November, runners gather at Union Glacier, Antarctica for the Antarctic Ice Marathon and Half Marathon. Runners endure strong winds and cold temperatures to compete in this race, which is the southernmost marathon on Earth. To prepare for the extreme conditions, some runners exercise on treadmills in walk-in freezers or run on sand. And if you’re up for an even more extreme challenge, the Antarctic 100k (approximately 62 miles) is held each January.

2. GO SNORKELING IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN.

Before you go snorkeling or diving in Antarctica, make sure you’ve got the right gear. Polar snorkelers must receive cold-water certification and wear insulated suits and masks. The water is cold, but the pay-off is incredible. Snorkelers can see icebergs, swimming penguins, shipwrecks, and all kinds of underwater wildlife.

3. KAYAK PAST ICEBERGS AND PENGUINS.

While it can be breathtaking to witness the wonders of Antarctica from a ship, kayaking puts you directly in the middle of the action. Kayakers have the chance to see floating icebergs, leopard seals, penguins, and whales up close and personal. Depending on the weather, the water can be rough and choppy, so wait for a calm day to break out the kayak, and bring a waterproof and freeze-proof camera.

4. TAKE A POLAR PLUNGE.

Although many ships have a plunge pool onboard, filled with cold ocean water and located next to a hot tub, some visitors in Antarctica make a bold statement by taking a polar plunge directly into the icy ocean. Wearing only their swimsuits, people jump into the water, which is often below freezing, and spend a few seconds in the water before getting out. Polar plungers describe the moment their bodies hit the water as an exhilarating rush of adrenaline. For safety, make sure to be tethered to a boat and warm yourself up gradually after the plunge with warm liquids and blankets.

5. CAMP UNDER THE STARS.

Antarctica offers a unique set of challenges—and dangers—to people who want to camp under the stars. Although campers must sleep on the snow in sub-zero weather, they’re not necessarily shivering all night. Campers in Antarctica wear layers of warm clothing and may sleep in a sleeping bag on top of a foam mattress, which provides an extra layer of insulation from the snow. Campers may also sleep in bivy sacs to protect themselves from the wind and cold. Due to Antarctica’s rules aimed at preserving the pristine landscape, campers aren’t allowed to eat, drink anything but water, or go to the bathroom on the land, so be sure you’ve eaten your fill beforehand and packed receptacles for your waste—all of it.

6. TRAVEL IN A SAILBOAT.

Most cruise ships that travel to Antarctica offer luxury amenities, but consider traveling in a sailboat for a more extreme mode of transportation. With fewer passengers and a smaller size than a cruise ship, a sailboat built to navigate polar conditions allows travelers to encounter nature up close and experience the silence and stillness of Antarctica. In a sailboat, you’ll feel more like a part of the landscape rather than an interloper.

7. TAKE A VOLCANIC BATH AT DECEPTION ISLAND.

At Deception Island, tourists can see a former whaling station—complete with abandoned boilers, rusted boats, and decomposing whale bones—located on an active volcano. As you take a thermal bath in one of the island’s natural hot springs, you’ll probably spot several chinstrap penguins. Just be aware of Deception Island’s volcanic alert scheme, which ranges from green (an eruption is unlikely) to red (a major explosive eruption is expected within 24 hours).

8. GO HIKING AND SLEDDING.

The payoff at the mid-point of a steep hike is getting to enjoy the views at the top, and Antarctica’s mountains provide particularly majestic views. As you hike through the snow, you may battle fierce winds and difficult terrain as you encounter polar plants and muskoxen, a type of Arctic mammal. After you reach the top, you can hike or sled down the slope. For safety, consider wearing snowshoes or hiking boots and using trekking poles.

9. EXPLORE THE SOUTH POLE ICE TUNNELS.

Since 1956, scientific researchers have worked at Antarctica’s Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. Besides housing a runway for aircraft, the station has a network of underground ice tunnels containing the station’s utility lines. Although the temperature in the tunnels is negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit, some researchers have gone underground to create shrines by carving into the ice. As you walk through the tunnels, you might spot a dead fish, a pig’s head, and a sled. Tourists can visit the station, but getting access to the ice tunnels isn’t guaranteed.

10. BRAVE THE DRAKE PASSAGE.

As the shortest route by ship to and from Antarctica, the Drake Passage is the body of water between Antarctica and the southernmost part of South America. Known for its danger and unpredictability, the Drake Passage can be extremely turbulent due to its bottleneck position between the Pacific, Southern, and Atlantic Oceans. Unless you fly to and from Antarctica, you’ll probably have to face it. Although not every trip across the Drake Passage is tumultuous, travelers frequently deal with violent waves, strong winds, and changing currents. If you’re up for the extreme nature that is crossing the passage, be sure to take motion sickness medicine and protect your body from plates, bottles, and chairs that might fly towards you when the journey gets rocky.

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” But in practice, not everyone agrees on what abiding by that clause means in real-life situations. For instance, can a courthouse or a public park feature a nativity scene?

According to the Supreme Court, maybe not—or at least not unless it includes a menorah and a plastic reindeer, too. In the 1984 case of Lynch v. Donnelly, the court established a precedent that became known as the “reindeer rule,” a legal standard that has governed public displays of holiday cheer ever since.

The case hinged on a Rhode Island display that was owned by the city of Pawtucket but was located in a park owned by a nonprofit organization. The annual display, which dated back 40 years, included a nativity scene (also known as a creche or crèche) in addition to other Christmastime symbols like reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh, a Christmas tree, and a “seasons greetings” banner. The justices ruled in favor of the nativity scene, arguing that there was a secular argument to be made about including the religious reference:

The display is sponsored by the city to celebrate the Holiday recognized by Congress and national tradition and to depict the origins of that Holiday; these are legitimate secular purposes. Whatever benefit to one faith or religion or to all religions inclusion of the creche in the display effects, is indirect, remote, and incidental, and is no more an advancement or endorsement of religion than the congressional and executive recognition of the origins of Christmas, or the exhibition of religious paintings in governmentally supported museums.

In the case, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor put forth a legal rule of thumb called the “endorsement test,” writing that governments can run afoul of the Establishment Clause by appearing to endorse a specific religion or a belief, rather than being inclusive of a variety of beliefs. “Endorsement sends a message to nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community,” she explained. According to the National Constitution Center, “Court observers at the time saw the presence of the reindeer as broadening the purpose of the display.” And so the reindeer rule was born.

Then, a 1989 Supreme Court ruling in reference to two holiday displays inside and outside the Allegheny County courthouse in Pittsburgh made this standard even more clear. A nativity scene inside the courthouse that prominently displayed a banner that read, in Latin, “Glory to God for the birth of Jesus Christ,” with no secular objects on display, was ruled unconstitutional. Meanwhile, a display outside the courthouse with a menorah, a Christmas tree, and a sign that declared the city’s “salute to liberty,” as the case ruling puts it, was allowed to stay. With the overtly Christian indoor display, nothing counteracted the government endorsement of “a patently Christian message.” As Justice Harry Blackmun wrote in his opinion, “Although the government may acknowledge Christmas as a cultural phenomenon, it may not observe it as a Christian holy day by suggesting that people praise God for the birth of Jesus,” while the menorah display combined “with a Christmas tree and a sign saluting liberty does not impermissibly endorse both the Christian and Jewish faiths, but simply recognizes that both Christmas and Chanukah are part of the same winter-holiday season, which has attained a secular status in our society. The widely accepted view of the Christmas tree as the preeminent secular symbol of the Christmas season emphasizes this point.” This ruling only applies to government property and government sponsored displays, though, which is why it’s completely fine for private entities like churches to erect public displays of nativity scenes on their property.

Though the reindeer rule seems pretty clear, it hasn’t stopped towns from testing the boundaries of the court’s ruling over the decades since it was established. In 2014, Cherokee County, Texas, for instance, got into a spat with the American Humanist Association over the constitutionality of a nativity scene in front of the county courthouse. The state attorney general publicly supported the county, and there was no forced removal of the display. That same year, similar controversies took place in towns in Virginia and Arkansas. Some cities have groups like the Thomas More Society and the American Nativity Scene Committee, which work to get Christian displays erected in public places across the country, to thank for their nativity scenes. The former calls nativity scenes “classic free speech.”

But some towns have proven to be a little more inclusive of other holiday decor—or at least wary of litigation. The Florida Capitol building in Tallahassee, for instance, has approved holiday displays that include not just nativity scenes, but privately funded decorative contributions from the Satanic Temple, Seinfeld fans (a Festivus pole), and Pastafarian followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

But the U.S. remains a very Christian country, despite its longstanding religious freedom laws, and according to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey, 44 percent of American adults think Christian symbols are OK to display on government property, even in the absence of symbols from other faiths. It should be noted that a Pew survey that year on religion found that 71 percent of Americans identified as Christians, though the percentages of residents practicing other faiths or identifying as atheists has been rising. Still, that doesn’t mean that nativity scenes get total respect in America. Plenty of baby Jesuses get swiped out of their mangers every year.