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4371/ The Latvians first decorated a fir tree for Christmas, in 1510. The Christmas Tree was introduced to Britain in 1800 by Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III - and populised 40 years later by Queen Victoria's German husband, Prince Albert.
4372/ Despite Rudolph's macho name, his headgear give him away: female reindeer have antlers all year round, while male reindeer lose their antlers before winter sets in…
4373/ The original Father Christmas was St Nicholas of Lycia, now in Turkey, who was noted for his kindness to children. After the American War of Independence, New Yorkers adopted St Nicholas to displace St George, the English patron saint, and his Dutch name Sinter Klaas changed to Santa Claus.
4374/ When we abbreviate Christmas to 'Xmas', the first letter is not our 'X' but the similar-looking Greek 'chi', the first letter of 'Christ' in Greek.
4375/ The origin of the Christmas pudding was a soup made of mutton and beef boiled with prunes, currants, wine and spices.
4376/ The
average American household sends out 28 Christmas cards -
and receives the same number.
4377/ The English were forbidden from celebrating Christmas between 1647 and 1660 by Oliver Cromwell - who also had King Charles I beheaded.
4378/ There's no evidence in the Bible about the number of Wise Men who visited the infant Jesus - all that's reported is that they brought three gifts.
4379/ In medieval times, the main dish at Christmas dinner would be swan or peacock.
4380/ The popular carol Silent Night was written by Austrian priest Joseph Mohr, when his church organ broke down on Christmas Eve. He sat down and penned a carol that he could accompany on the guitar.
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