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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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".
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Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
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The definition of a white Christmas in the UK is for a single snow flake (perhaps amongst a shower of mixed rain and snow) to be observed falling in the 24 hours of December 25th.
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In 1999, residents of the state of Maine in America built the world's biggest ever snowman. He stood at 113ft tall.
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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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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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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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