The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
28
Black Friday in the UK is the Friday before Christmas. Instead of shopping, many people get very drunk!
10
7.6 million Christmas trees are sold each year.
100
Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It was a forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It is linked in legend to the Celtic god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the earth.
5
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".
27
Many theologians estimate that Jesus wasn't born on December 25 but sometime in September between 6BC and 30AD.
42
The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
81
Robins on cards were a joke 150 years ago when postmen wore red tunics and were named after them.
20