Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
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'Klaxon' is a name that does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer. A klaxon is actually a powerful electric horn. Its name comes from a German word meaning "shriek".
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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 first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
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