Robins on cards were a joke 150 years ago when postmen wore red tunics and were named after them.
20
Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
62
There are 13 Santas in Iceland, each leaving a gift for children. They come down from the mountain one by one, starting on December 12 and have names like Spoon Licker, Door Sniffer and Meat Hook.
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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
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
113
The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
82
The twelve days of Christmas are the days between Christmas Day and Epiphany (6th of January) and represent the length of time it took for the wise men from the East to visit the manger of Jesus after his birth.
36
The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
273