Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
14
The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
28
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.
36
The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
81
The Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.
18
Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It was a forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It is linked in legend to the Celtic god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the earth.
5
'Klaxon' is a name that does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer. A klaxon is actually a powerful electric horn. Its name comes from a German word meaning "shriek".
3