The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
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The Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.
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Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa for a winter promotion.
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Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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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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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.
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