Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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Gold-wrapped chocolate coins commemorate St Nicholas who gave bags of gold coins to the poor.
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US scientists calculated that Santa would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world's presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second.
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The first Christmas card was designed in 1843 by J.C. Horsley.
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The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
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English Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas between 1647 and 1660 because he believed such celebrations were immoral for the holiest day of the year.
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The typical image we have of Santa Claus dressed in red clothes with white fur trim, is an amalgamation of cultural input over many years. Some people claim the image of Santa we know today is from Coca-cola advertising, but this simply isn't true. The st
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