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.
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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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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
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The definition of a white Christmas in the UK is for a single snow flake (perhaps amongst a shower of mixed rain and snow) to be observed falling in the 24 hours of December 25th.
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Christmas trees become popular in the UK from 1841 when Prince Albert erected a tree in Windsor Castle following a German tradition. Fir trees have been decorated at Christmas time in Germany since the 8th century.
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Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa for a winter promotion.
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