Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
14
Gold-wrapped chocolate coins commemorate St Nicholas who gave bags of gold coins to the poor.
196
The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, or "Christ's Mass." There is no set date for his birth in scripture and it wasn't celebrated on any particular day. However Christmas was first celebrated on the 25th of December in Rome in 336AD with an aim t
16
'Klaxon' is a name that does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer. A klaxon is actually a powerful electric horn. Its name comes from a German word meaning "shriek".
3
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
113
Electric lights for trees were first used in 1895.
62
At Christmas, it is traditional to exchange kisses beneath the mistletoe tree. In ancient Scandinavia, mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship. That may account for the custom of "kissing beneath the mistletoe".
27