Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
14
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.
42
Gold-wrapped chocolate coins commemorate St Nicholas who gave bags of gold coins to the poor.
196
Black Friday in the UK is the Friday before Christmas. Instead of shopping, many people get very drunk!
10
7.6 million Christmas trees are sold each year.
100
The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
28
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
There are 13 Santas in Iceland, each leaving a gift for children. They come down from the mountain one by one, starting on December 12 and have names like Spoon Licker, Door Sniffer and Meat Hook.
191