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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Robins on cards were a joke 150 years ago when postmen wore red tunics and were named after them.
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The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
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The first Christmas card was designed in 1843 by J.C. Horsley.
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The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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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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Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
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