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.
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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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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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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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Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
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The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
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Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
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