The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
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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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Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
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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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The tradition of putting tangerines in stockings comes from 12th-century French nuns who left socks full of fruit, nuts and tangerines at the houses of the poor.
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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, or "Christ's Mass." There is no set date for his birth in scripture and it wasn't celebrated on any particular day. However Christmas was first celebrated on the 25th of December in Rome in 336AD with an aim t
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