Gold-wrapped chocolate coins commemorate St Nicholas who gave bags of gold coins to the poor.
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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
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The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
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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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Robins on cards were a joke 150 years ago when postmen wore red tunics and were named after them.
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The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
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The poinsettia is a traditional Christmas flower. In Mexico (its original birthplace), the poinsettia is known as the "Flower of the Holy Night".
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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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