Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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In the Ukraine, if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas morning, it is believed to be a harbinger of good luck! There once lived a woman so poor, says a Ukrainian folk tale, that she could not afford Christmas decorations for her family. One Ch
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The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
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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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Black Friday in the UK is the Friday before Christmas. Instead of shopping, many people get very drunk!
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Gold-wrapped chocolate coins commemorate St Nicholas who gave bags of gold coins to the poor.
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The first Christmas card was designed in 1843 by J.C. Horsley.
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