Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
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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".
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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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The typical image we have of Santa Claus dressed in red clothes with white fur trim, is an amalgamation of cultural input over many years. Some people claim the image of Santa we know today is from Coca-cola advertising, but this simply isn't true. The st
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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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7.6 million Christmas trees are sold each year.
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The Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.
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Popular belief holds that 3 wise men visited Bethlehem from the east bearing gifts. However there is no mention in the bible about the number of wise men who visited. Three gifts were brought - gold, frankincense and myrrh, but names commonly attributed t
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