English Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas between 1647 and 1660 because he believed such celebrations were immoral for the holiest day of the year.
26
Santa Claus has many different names around the world including Father Christmas in the UK, Pere Noel in France, Kriss Kringle in Germany, La Befana in Italy, Julinesse in Denmark, Dedushka Moroz (meaning Grandfather Frost) in Russia and the Three Kings i
22
Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
74
In 1999, residents of the state of Maine in America built the world's biggest ever snowman. He stood at 113ft tall.
103
The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
82
Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
14
The Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.
18
There are 13 Santas in Iceland, each leaving a gift for children. They come down from the mountain one by one, starting on December 12 and have names like Spoon Licker, Door Sniffer and Meat Hook.
191