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 world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
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English Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas between 1647 and 1660 because he believed such celebrations were immoral for the holiest day of the year.
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Louis Prang, a Bavarian-born lithographer who came to the USA from Germany in the 19th century, popularized the sending of printed Christmas cards. He invented a way of reproducing color oil paintings
, the "chromolithograph technique", and created a car
, the "chromolithograph technique", and created a car
1
Black Friday in the UK is the Friday before Christmas. Instead of shopping, many people get very drunk!
10
The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
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7.6 million Christmas trees are sold each year.
100
Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa for a winter promotion.
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