The Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.
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Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa for a winter promotion.
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The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
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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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'Klaxon' is a name that does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer. A klaxon is actually a powerful electric horn. Its name comes from a German word meaning "shriek".
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