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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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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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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The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
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In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small figurine of a goat. It is usually made of straw. Scandinavian Christmas festivities feature a variety of straw decorations in the form of stars, angels, hearts and other shapes, as well as t
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In 1999, residents of the state of Maine in America built the world's biggest ever snowman. He stood at 113ft tall.
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