Fact or fiction? Answering some of the biggest holiday-related rumors

Christmas is a time to give gifts, spend time with family and take a breather from the chaos of the last year. If you are still stuck on what to buy, tap or click here for Kim’s Christmas shopping list of 13 things your friends and family will love.

Remember to keep that yule log burning no matter where you are celebrating this year. It’s considered bad luck to light a new one during the 12 days of Christmas. It might seem silly to some, but there are plenty of rumors and superstitions about the holidays.

From Darth Vader to popular songs, read on to answer the most frequently asked questions about the holiday season.

Was “Jingle Bells” written as a Christmas song?

“Jingle Bells” is the quintessential Christmas tune, and it’s easy to sporadically burst into song this time of year. But where did it come from, and do most of us have the meaning completely wrong?

If you pause to analyze the lyrics, you’ll notice no reference to Christmas or December. Written by James Lord Pierpont, it was initially copyrighted in 1857 under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh.” According to Snopes, the song isn’t a Christmas ditty at all, but rather an ode to Pierpont’s native Massachusetts.

Is the same actor in both “A Christmas Story” and “Elf?”

Aside from whether “Die Hard” is, in fact, a Christmas movie, there is another film debate that pops up every year. With 1983’s “A Christmas Story” and 2003’s “Elf” being popular this time of year, many film fanatics have often wondered if the two productions have an actor in common.

While released 20 years apart, actor Peter Billingsley does perform in both. He played Ralphie in “A Christmas Story” and Ming Ming in “Elf.”

Is the USPS “Operation Santa” real?

The United States Postal Service will continue helping needy families to spread Christmas cheer. So, yes, the USPS Operation Santa is real and goes back as far as 1912.

The program was set up to help struggling families by accepting wish lists during Christmas. The postal service opens the letters and uploads them to USPSOperationSanta.com. Other families can adopt a letter and fulfill the wishes of those in need.

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Tech how-to: Identify any song using your phone

We’re sure that there have been many instances where you hear a song that pique’s your interest but don’t know who the artist is. You want to add the tune to your playlist but can’t figure out what song it is.

Luckily, technology is here to help, allowing you to identify songs quickly and easily by only using your smartphone. SoundHound has been one of the most-used apps to do that since its founding in 2005. Tap or click here to see where Spotify beats Apple Music – and where it doesn’t.

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🌊 Stream on: Make your music flow more smoothly with crossfade. This forces your songs to transition from one into the next instead of ending abruptly, pausing and starting the next track. On Spotify, go to Settings > Playback > Crossfade. In Apple Music, head to Settings > Apple Music > Crossfade.

Identify songs with your voice assistant

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Got a song stuck in your head, but can’t figure out the title? Here’s how your tech can figure it out, in 60 seconds. 

TikTok (Taylor’s Version): Taylor Swift’s songs are coming back to TikTok thanks to a new licensing deal with Universal Music Group. They’ve ironed out the royalties and AI concerns for an undisclosed (probably astronomical) price. No more bad blood here.

Use this trick to find anything you want to watch on Apple TV

When it comes to Apple’s own digital ecosystem it can be tough to find out how to access the content you want: Is it on the App Store? The iTunes Store? Through Apple TV+? We’re here to cut through the confusion and explain how Apple TVs work.

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Tech how-to: Easy way to set up your own music server

If you’re an audiophile who loves to collect digital albums and songs, you know the struggle that comes with finding a media server that you like and trust enough to use for storing your music. That struggle becomes even more real when you find a free service you like, but it suddenly starts charging for using the server, leaving you in a lurch.

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Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was leaked to Google Drive two days early. Swifties were quick to call it an AI deepfake (paywall link). Surprise, the leak was real. Swifties did get a consolation prize: 15 additional songs. Share this with your favorite Swiftie.

Voice cloning is already on the air

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Viral AI-generated songs by famous artists are hard to stop. Here’s why in this one-minute podcast.