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
16
Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
74
Robins on cards were a joke 150 years ago when postmen wore red tunics and were named after them.
20
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
113
Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
14
US scientists calculated that Santa would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world's presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second.
415
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.
32