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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Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
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One town in Indiana is called Santa Claus. There is also a Santa, Idaho.
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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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In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. In order to get rid of them, salt or an old shoe is burnt. The pungent burning stench drives off, or at least helps discourage, the Kallikantza
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