Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
74
Louis Prang, a Bavarian-born lithographer who came to the USA from Germany in the 19th century, popularized the sending of printed Christmas cards. He invented a way of reproducing color oil paintings
, the "chromolithograph technique", and created a car
, the "chromolithograph technique", and created a car
1
The poinsettia is a traditional Christmas flower. In Mexico (its original birthplace), the poinsettia is known as the "Flower of the Holy Night".
15
Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa for a winter promotion.
251
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
The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
81
Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
14
The Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.
18