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.
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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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Santa Claus has many different names around the world including Father Christmas in the UK, Pere Noel in France, Kriss Kringle in Germany, La Befana in Italy, Julinesse in Denmark, Dedushka Moroz (meaning Grandfather Frost) in Russia and the Three Kings i
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7.6 million Christmas trees are sold each year.
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Gold-wrapped chocolate coins commemorate St Nicholas who gave bags of gold coins to the poor.
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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
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Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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