Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
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The twelve days of Christmas are the days between Christmas Day and Epiphany (6th of January) and represent the length of time it took for the wise men from the East to visit the manger of Jesus after his birth.
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The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
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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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7.6 million Christmas trees are sold each year.
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Many theologians estimate that Jesus wasn't born on December 25 but sometime in September between 6BC and 30AD.
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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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