Christmas Facts

    Random Christmas Facts

    There are 44 Christmas Facts!

    The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
    273
    The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
    81
    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
    The twelve days of Christmas are the days between Christmas Day and Epiphany (6th of January) and represent the length of time it took for the wise men from the East to visit the manger of Jesus after his birth.
    36
    At Christmas, it is traditional to exchange kisses beneath the mistletoe tree. In ancient Scandinavia, mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship. That may account for the custom of "kissing beneath the mistletoe".
    27
    Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
    33
    The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
    28