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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The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
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The 26th of December is traditionally known as St Stephen's Day, but is more commonly known as Boxing Day. The reason it was called this is either alms boxes in church were opened and the money distributed to the poor, or alternatively it was named from t
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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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7.6 million Christmas trees are sold each year.
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One town in Indiana is called Santa Claus. There is also a Santa, Idaho.
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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
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