Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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Santa Claus has many different names around the world including Father Christmas in the UK, Pere Noel in France, Kriss Kringle in Germany, La Befana in Italy, Julinesse in Denmark, Dedushka Moroz (meaning Grandfather Frost) in Russia and the Three Kings i
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The Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.
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7.6 million Christmas trees are sold each year.
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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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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".
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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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