The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
82
In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. In order to get rid of them, salt or an old shoe is burnt. The pungent burning stench drives off, or at least helps discourage, the Kallikantza
6
In 1999, residents of the state of Maine in America built the world's biggest ever snowman. He stood at 113ft tall.
103
Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
14
The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
273
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.
415
The tradition of putting tangerines in stockings comes from 12th-century French nuns who left socks full of fruit, nuts and tangerines at the houses of the poor.
42