Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
33
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 Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.
18
Black Friday in the UK is the Friday before Christmas. Instead of shopping, many people get very drunk!
10
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
Christmas trees become popular in the UK from 1841 when Prince Albert erected a tree in Windsor Castle following a German tradition. Fir trees have been decorated at Christmas time in Germany since the 8th century.
20
In 1999, residents of the state of Maine in America built the world's biggest ever snowman. He stood at 113ft tall.
103
