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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Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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In the Ukraine, if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas morning, it is believed to be a harbinger of good luck! There once lived a woman so poor, says a Ukrainian folk tale, that she could not afford Christmas decorations for her family. One Ch
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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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The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
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