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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The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
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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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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 poinsettia is a traditional Christmas flower. In Mexico (its original birthplace), the poinsettia is known as the "Flower of the Holy Night".
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The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
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In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. In order to get rid of them, salt or an old shoe is burnt. The pungent burning stench drives off, or at least helps discourage, the Kallikantza
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