Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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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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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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7.6 million Christmas trees are sold each year.
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Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa for a winter promotion.
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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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